Harry Slithers In: The Chamber of Secrets
by Dragonson
Summary: After the events of his first year at Hogwarts Harry is looking forward to a quiet second year but there are two new problems. 1. Ginny Weasley; 2. Gilderoy Lockhart. And then there is the small matter of a terrifying monster with the ability to petrify people. Harry's second year in Slytherin. Disclaimer: I am not J K Rowling and I do not own Harry Potter.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 1: Missing Letters**

Harry's first month back on Privet Drive after completing his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry started off badly. He had barely returned to the house before Uncle Vernon had taken his trunk, broomstick and all other wizarding paraphernalia and locked them in the cupboard under the stairs. When Harry had complained he was told to shut up and do as he was told. He was allowed to keep Hedwig in his room but her cage was locked and Uncle Vernon had the key.

To add to Harry's problems none of his friends had written to him. Dudley had noticed this and had begun taunting Harry saying he had no friends at that freak school anyway. In response Harry had begun threatening to use magic on Dudley. He doubted this would be very effective since Aunt Petunia probably knew he wasn't allowed to use magic outside of school but Dudley did seem genuinely frightened so Harry made sure to keep doing it simply because it was fun.

Things changed dramatically, however, on the 20th of July. It was early evening when the phone rang. Vernon went to answer it. "Vernon Dursley here," he said into the receiver. There was a pause while the other person replied then Vernon said, "What do you mean? No-one has reported us to child welfare before. I assure you, madam, that our son is being perfectly well looked after." Next moment Vernon's expression changed from anger to shock. He put the phone down.

"Boy," he shouted at Harry after returning to the lounge and closing the door. "You tell that woman on the phone you are completely happy living here and you have no concerns about how we treat you."

Harry picked up the phone. "Hello?" he asked.

"Hello, Harry. Janet Davis here. Tracey was wondering why you haven't replied to her letters yet. Is there something wrong?"

"I haven't received any letters from anyone," Harry replied.

"Really?" Mrs. Davis replied. "I know Tracey has sent you a couple of letters and I'm quite certain others have written to you as well. I think it best if I come and visit you in person tomorrow. I will arrive at about 7pm and I want to speak to both you and your uncle and aunt when I arrive. Stealing someone's mail is a serious offence in both the muggle and wizarding worlds so it will need to be investigated. Tell your uncle and aunt I will be paying them a visit tomorrow evening and that we will discuss your welfare when I arrive. In the meantime I will contact a few witches and wizards to set up a trap to catch the thief. Goodbye for now Harry and I will see you tomorrow."

"Goodbye ma'am." Harry hung up the phone.

When Harry returned to the lounge Vernon immediately said, "Did you do what I told you to do?"

"I tried to but she didn't believe me. She will be arriving here tomorrow at 7pm and she wants to speak to both of you as well as to me while she is here," Harry said.

"Some nosey parker from child welfare is coming here? Tomorrow?" Petunia seemed furious.

"That's what she said," Harry replied. All three Dursleys looked less than happy at the prospect. For his part he kept a straight face before retiring to his room before any of the Dursleys could think up a plan to avoid the visit.

The next day Harry noticed the Dursleys were being especially nice to him. Vernon took Dudley for a trip to London while Petunia invited Harry to join her on a trip to the local shops where she allowed him to choose anything he wanted providing the price was below 10 pounds. He chose a board game that cost 9.95 pounds which he had wanted for quite some time. Next Petunia took him a fast food restaurant and bought him a large meal consisting of a burger, fries and milkshake. Harry knew exactly what she was trying to do and promised he would tell the 'social worker' that he was being treated reasonably well and that he had no concerns about how his aunt and uncle were treating him.

That evening Harry dressed in some of the clothes he had received for Christmas and waited in the lounge with the Dursleys. He noted that Petunia had done all the cooking and had then washed the dishes. Indeed the only chores he had been set that day were the regular ones which any boy his age would routinely be asked to do.

Shortly before Mrs. Davis was due to arrive Vernon said, "Remember, boy, if you do what we ask you to do we will allow that bird of yours out of its cage. If you don't then that bird and its cage get taken to an animal rescue centre and you'll never see it again."

"Yes sir," Harry replied, trying not to laugh.

At precisely 7pm the doorbell rang. "Answer the door please, Harry," Vernon said in an unnaturally nice voice. Harry went to the front door and opened it.

"Hello, Harry," Mrs. Davis said.

"Good evening Mrs. Davis, please come in," he replied politely.

Harry led Mrs. Davis to the lounge. "Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, I believe you know Mrs. Janet Davis."

"But you said you worked for child welfare," Vernon said angrily.

"You," screeched Petunia. "You lied to us."

"No I didn't," Mrs. Davis replied. "I do work for the wizarding equivalent of child welfare so what I told you was entirely true. Just because you interpreted what I said wrongly doesn't mean I didn't tell the truth. Harry, how have they been treating you?"

"Not too badly. Certainly things have been better this year than last year, although they won't let me let Hedwig out of her cage."

"Is that true?" Mrs. Davis asked the Dursleys.

"Well, in a manner of speaking, it might be true," Vernon spluttered.

"So clearly we have an animal welfare problem here at least. That will have to change, I will contact a colleague of mine to check up on that. Harry, as regards your mail, a Ministry sponsored enquiry is now being undertaken. We expect to have located the culprit within a couple of days and, once we do, all mail we can recover will be forwarded to you. At the very least the matter should be resolved by your birthday. Tracey has bought you a present, incidentally, but we felt it would be safer in the circumstances if we did not post it. It will be hand delivered next week."

"Thank you, Mrs Davis," Harry replied. He decided not to add that this would in fact be his first ever genuine birthday present. He would, however, remember to point this out to the Dursleys once it had arrived.

After Mrs. Davis left the Dursleys rounded on Harry. "Boy," Vernon began, "You knew all along who she was, didn't you? And yet you still made us look like fools in front of her. From now on you have extra chores to do."

"She will be back next week, remember," Harry said. "Either her or another representative of the Ministry of Magic. What would happen if I told them how you usually treat me? I daresay they would be less than impressed."

"Go to your room, let that ruddy owl out but you stay there until morning," Vernon said. Harry left.

Three days before Harry's birthday the doorbell rang early in the evening. Unsure as to who it was Vernon answered the door, deciding to personally handle it just in case it was another child or animal welfare person. "Good evening," the woman began. "I am Narcissa Malfoy; I would like to speak to Harry Potter, please."

Harry, Petunia and Dudley could hear from the lounge what was being said. Harry immediately went into the hallway and greeted their guest. On the doorstep was a blonde woman of average height and build who had a sour expression on her face. Harry guessed this might be Draco's mother but couldn't understand why she was here. As he approached the door he said, "I'm Harry, ma'am."

Vernon stomped back into the lounge leaving Harry alone with Mrs. Malfoy. "Mr. Potter, a pleasure to meet you," she began. "I am Draco's mother and I am here in response to an important matter."

"Please, come in," Harry replied. He led Mrs. Malfoy into the lounge where all three Dursleys sat, warily watching their visitor.

"I shall not stay long," Mrs. Malfoy said to the Dursleys. "Mr. Potter, it is with deep regret that I must inform you it was a member of my household who has been stealing your mail. One of the family servants took it upon himself to prevent you receiving what was rightfully yours. I assure you this servant has been appropriately punished. On behalf of my husband, Lucius, and myself I wish to present a formal apology for this behaviour and to return to you what is rightfully yours." Mrs. Malfoy handed Harry a thick stack of letters bound together with twine.

Harry accepted the bundle. On top was a letter from the Malfoys and, below it, there were nearly a dozen more letters. "Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," Harry replied. "I accept your graceful apology and now consider the matter closed."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," she replied. "I am aware your birthday is coming up and I should like to extend to you an invitation to spend a couple of weeks at Malfoy Manor starting on your birthday. Draco would like to catch up with you as would the Davis'. Perhaps we could arrange for you to visit with them after your stay at the Manor as I doubt you would be all that keen to remain here?"

"Thank you, yes, that would be good," Harry replied.

"I shall collect you around 5pm on the 31st of July, then," Mrs. Malfoy said before turning toward the door. Harry escorted her outside and was going to ask how she had arrived when she suddenly vanished with a loud pop.

Harry returned to the house where Vernon stopped him. "What did that woman mean by household servants?" he demanded.

"The Malfoys are one of the richest families in Britain. They are very much wizarding nobility and are held in high regard by most people in that world," Harry said. Clearly Vernon was impressed by the fact that such a high-born woman would personally visit Harry over such a matter. Harry suspected he might be trying to find some way of accessing all that wealth and prestige for himself.

"So, we will have a very wealthy visitor in a few days' time; the same day as I hope to close a major business deal," Vernon said, a gleam in his eye.

"I doubt Mrs. Malfoy would want to spend any more time than is necessary in a place like this," Harry said. "She is, after all, a witch."

Vernon started. "Go to your room," he snapped.

In his room Harry went through the letters he had received. The first one was a written apology and an invitation to stay from the Malfoys. Harry had already accepted their invitation so he put that letter aside. There were two letters from Tracey. The first was a general letter talking about everyday things while the second was a request for an explanation as to why he hadn't replied to the first one. He would write to Tracey to explain exactly what had happened but that would have to wait.

Another letter he received was from Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain. It required an urgent reply since it was about a meeting for the team that was supposed to be happening that evening and which Harry wouldn't be able to attend.

After writing that reply and sending it off with Hedwig Harry read through the remainder of the letters. Draco, Daphne, Theo and Blaise had all written as had Hermione Granger while even Ron Weasley had sent him a letter. He prioritised who he needed to send replies to meaning Hedwig would be delivering a lot of mail over the next few days. He would send his letter to Hermione by muggle post, however, since she had included her address in the letter.


	2. Happy Birthday, Harry

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 2: Happy Birthday, Harry**

The morning of Harry's birthday dawned with the Dursleys still treating Harry as badly as ever. Petunia said, "After breakfast you will mow the lawn then weed the flower beds. Make sure you do it properly or there will be hell to pay."

"Remember, this evening Mrs. Malfoy will be returning to pick me up. She will be unhappy if I tell her you me do all the chores on my birthday," Harry replied.

"Are you threatening me?" Petunia snapped.

"No," Harry said. "I am stating a fact. I will mow the lawns since that is a reasonable request but, after that, I am going to relax and enjoy my birthday. Mrs. Malfoy will be here about 5pm and I expect to have had a shower and have everything packed by that time. That will take several hours so, after lunch, I will be too busy to do any extra chores."

"Fine," snapped Petunia. "Don't expect anything for lunch, though." Harry left the kitchen.

That had been a typical morning regime for Harry over the last week and a half. The chores he was asked to do varied but the tone and the threats were still the same. Harry's response was always the same too; he would do some chores and then he would sneak into the kitchen and eat any leftover bread and other foods that had been left lying around. He knew these food items were being left out deliberately for him by Petunia but he never let on the fact he knew.

Today, however, was different. Mrs. Malfoy was arriving that evening to take Harry to a birthday party and, after that, he would be staying at Malfoy Manor for about two weeks. What would happen after that was less certain; Ron Weasley had invited him to stay while Tracey Davis had indicated her family were making arrangements for him as well. Harry had already decided the Weasleys would be a last resort option, however. He would only go there if nothing else came up in the meantime.

5pm rolled around and Mrs. Malfoy rang the doorbell exactly at the stated time. Harry greeted her and invited her to come inside while he went to collect his trunk. The Dursleys had told him to keep his trunk in his room until she arrived so it didn't 'clutter up the place' as they had put it.

When Harry had dragged his trunk down the stairs he found Vernon and Petunia standing in the hall having a 'polite' conversation with their guest. After some final pleasantries and goodbyes Mrs. Malfoy asked Harry to hold her arm while she grasped one of the handles on Harry's trunk. With a loud pop they vanished right in front of the startled Dursleys.

This was Harry's first experience of apparation. It came as quite a shock; one moment he was standing face to face with the Dursleys and the next he felt as if he was being crushed by an infinitely small space. A moment later he was standing outside the gate of a vast country estate, his view dominated by a huge Manor house that must have been ten times the size of the Dursley's townhouse. He staggered slightly on landing and felt somewhat dizzy and a little queasy for a few moments. Mrs. Malfoy had stepped away from him as they arrived and Harry guessed this might be a precaution in case he threw up but he did manage to hold his lunch.

"I take it that was your first time apparating?" Mrs. Malfoy asked.

"Yes, ma'am, it was," Harry said.

"It does take some getting used to but it is by far the quickest method of travelling over long distances. It is a subject taught at Hogwarts but not until your 6th year." Mrs. Malfoy then tapped Harry's trunk with her wand causing it to float into the air beside her while she placed her hand against the wrought iron gates which immediately swung open.

Harry followed Narcissa to up the front entrance of the Manor where they were greeted by Draco. "Hello, Potter. Welcome to Malfoy Manor," Draco said in a posh sounding voice.

"Hello, Malfoy. It's good to see you again," Harry replied while trying to keep a straight face.

"Draco," Narcissa began, "Kindly show our guest to his rooms and then both of you get dressed. We are going out for dinner this evening and I want you both ready to leave by 5-45."

"Of course, mother." Draco said before turning to Harry. "Please follow me."

Harry followed Draco while his trunk floated along on its own behind them. Harry soon realised he would have his own suite of rooms including his own bathroom. He was amazed and began to realise just how wealthy the Malfoys must be. Some of the artwork was obviously valuable while the sheer size of the Manor was astounding. Presently, Draco opened a door and invited Harry to enter.

"These will be your rooms for the next two weeks," Draco said. "I hope you will find them satisfactory."

"I'm sure I will, thank you," Harry said. Draco showed him the ensuite and a separate drawing room before reminding him they needed to get ready for dinner. He said his rooms were next door and that Harry was welcome to visit at any time.

Harry changed and headed back downstairs to the main hall. Mrs. Malfoy was waiting for him along with a man who must be Draco's father. Mr Malfoy stood as Harry appeared. "Mr. Potter," he began, "a pleasure to meet you. I am Lucius Malfoy, entrepreneur, Hogwarts school governor and advisor to the Minister of Magic." Mr. Malfoy extended his hand which Harry shook. As they were shaking Draco descended the staircase and joined them.

"A pleasure to meet you, sir," Harry replied to Mr. Malfoy. "I thank you for inviting me to be your house guest for the next two weeks." Harry response drew smiles from all the Malfoys. Harry was relieved; this meant he had managed to avoid any serious faux-pars in what was his first encounter with an aristocrat.

Narcissa once again took Harry's hand while Lucius took Draco's. A few uncomfortable moments later and Harry was standing in a part of Diagon Alley he was not familiar with. They were outside an upmarket restaurant called the Gilded Galleon. Harry followed the Malfoys inside.

"Mr. Malfoy," the Head Waiter said when they entered. "Your table is ready and your other guests have arrived. This way, please."

Harry glanced at Draco. "Other guests?"

"You'll see," Draco replied. "And, by the way, well done back at the Manor. Pansy's etiquette lessons really are paying off."

They followed the waiter to a private room. There were seven other people present when they entered. Harry was directed to the head of the table since he was guest of honour. Immediately to his left sat Tracey and following around the table from there in order were: Mrs. Davis, Robert, Daphne Greengrass, a man Harry didn't know but guessed must be Daphne's father, Mrs. Greengrass, Astoria, Lucius, Draco and, immediately to Harry's right, Narcissa.

"Welcome Harry, and happy birthday," Tracey said. "I think the only person here you don't know is Lord Cyril Greengrass, my uncle." Tracey said that last bit quietly while pointing out the man seated between Daphne and her mother.

"A pleasure to meet you, sir," Harry said addressing Lord Greengrass.

"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Potter," was the reply.

The meal lasted for about an hour at the end of which Harry received a few presents from his friends before Mrs. Malfoy took his hand and apparated back to the Manor. Once Draco and Lucius returned a moment later the boys headed upstairs so Harry could open his presents. Tracey had given him a silver tie clip which Draco showed him how to apply correctly. He also received presents from Daphne, Pansy, Blaise, Theo, Hermione Granger and even Ron Weasley. Ron and Hermione's presents had been sent to the Davis' to be forwarded to him. After opening all his presents put them away (except for the sweets which he began eating) and went to bed.

The next two weeks were the best Harry had ever had. He and Draco flew around in the backyard whenever the weather permitted and, when it was wet, they stayed indoors doing other things. Harry showed Draco the muggle board game he had been given a week before his birthday when the Dursleys still thought it was a muggle child welfare officer that was coming to visit but Draco didn't seem interested. He decided he would show Tracey next time they got together since she had more experience and interest in the muggle world. Often Crabbe and Goyle would drop by which allowed Harry the chance to practice his flying skills against different opponents as well as allowing more opportunity for fun.

Finally his last day with the Malfoys arrived. Harry made sure everything was packed since he wouldn't be returning to Malfoy Manor after their trip to Diagon Alley, he would instead be staying with the Greengrasses for the remainder of the holidays. He had written to Ron Weasley saying he wouldn't be coming to visit and politely turning down their invitation. He would, however, be meeting with the Weasleys and Hermione Granger in Diagon Alley since they were all coming in on the same day.

After delivering his trunk to the Greengrasses Harry, along with Draco, was standing in front of the fireplace in the lounge when he asked, "How are we getting to Diagon Alley today?"

"You and I are going to use floo powder," Draco explained.

"What's floo powder?"

"This is." Draco took a handful of a glittering powder from a flower pot on the mantelpiece, letting it trickle through his fingers. "I take it you've never travelled by floo powder before?"

"No, I Haven't," Harry said.

"Well, this is how you do it: first of all, take a deep breath and throw the powder into the fire before stepping into the flames. It might help if you cover your mouth until you are ready to speak. That way you avoid getting a mouthful of ash. When you are ready say the name of the place you want to go to. Make sure you speak clearly and remember to keep your elbows tucked in. Got that?"

"I think so," Harry said. He was still uncertain about it, however.

Just then Lucius and Narcissa arrived.

"I have been instructing Harry on how to use floo powder," Draco explained.

"Have you never used it before?" Narcissa asked him.

"No ma'am, I haven't," Harry replied.

"Draco, perhaps you should go first," Narcissa suggested.

Draco took a pinch of the powder and sprinkled it in the fire. The flames turned an emerald green. He then took a deep breath and stepped into the flames and said "Diagon Alley." With a whoosh Draco disappeared from sight.

"That is how you do it," Narcissa said. "Just copy Draco and you will arrive safely. Off you go, then."

Harry did as he was told. The flames were pleasantly warm but there was a lot of soot and he remembered to place his hand over his mouth until he was ready. Once settled he removed his hand and said "Diagon Alley." A moment later he was spinning in a warm breeze. He thought he could see brief glimpses of other rooms beyond the flames but nothing definite. After a few more moments he suddenly felt himself being sucked out of the flames. His feet hit solid ground and he stumbled. Somebody caught him before he hit the ground. Looking up he saw Draco holding his arm.

"I knew that would happen," Draco said as he helped Harry to his feet. "Same thing happened to me first time I used floo powder, too."

Lucius and Narcissa arrived a moment later. They were standing in the Leaky Cauldron; the entrance to Diagon Alley right before them.


	3. 3 Greengrass Manor

**Author's Note:** I only recently found out that Gilderoy Lockhart was in fact sorted into Ravenclaw. I wrote this story on the assumption he had been a Slytherin and many events from this story are based on that assumption. In this story it is assumed Lockhart is a former Slytherin student.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 3: Greengrass Manor**

Harry and the Malfoys headed out into Diagon Alley. Mr. Malfoy had indicated he had business to attend to and took Draco along with him while Mrs. Malfoy took Harry to Gringotts before going to Fortescue's ice-cream parlour where they were to meet the Davis'.

Mrs. Davis arrived just as Harry and Narcissa were settling down to eat the ice-creams Narcissa had bought. Tracey and Robert had lagged behind but when Tracey saw Harry she hurried toward him. As she sat down the two women held a short conversation before Narcissa left. Robert told Harry he had been appointed as a prefect and showed off the badge he was wearing. Tracey said he'd been bragging about it ever since the letter had arrived. Mrs. Davis bought ice-creams for her children before saying she was going to leave them for a while. They were to meet again outside Flourish and Blotts at 1pm.

"What was it like at the Malfoys?" Tracey asked.

"Amazing," Harry replied. "I didn't realise how wealthy they really were until I got there. They're not exactly the best company, though. Mr. Malfoy especially seemed somewhat aloof even with Draco."

"Oh well. I think you'll like Greengrass Manor better. They have their own swimming pool so make sure you've got your swimming trunks with you," Tracey replied.

"Um, I don't have any swimming trunks," Harry said.

Tracey seemed surprised. "We had better get you some, then. It would be better to buy them from a muggle shop, though. We'll have to talk to mum about that."

Harry bought a few items for school while he and Tracey wondered around the Alley. At one point they ran into Hermione Granger and her parents and, after introductions, they agreed to wait for the Weasley family to arrive. When they arrived Mrs. Weasley introduced them to her husband and Ginny, the Weasley's youngest child and only daughter. When Harry's name was mentioned Ginny let out a surprised squeak, stepped backwards and tripped over Percy's foot. Percy helped her to her feet while her brothers laughed and Mrs. Weasley scolded them for teasing her.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked Ginny whose face by now had turned bright red. She nodded.

Since everybody would be going to Flourish and Blotts that afternoon the children split into several groups after the Weasleys had been to Gringotts. Ron and Hermione decided to joint Harry and Tracey in exploring the Alley. Tracey showed the others where they had gone for Harry's birthday party before the group found a small café where they had lunch. After eating they headed toward Flourish and Blotts where they were to meet the others.

As they approached they realised there was a large crowd outside the shop. Mrs. Davis was standing a little away from the crowd with Robert and when she caught sight of them she called them over. Ron and Hermione said goodbye and went to locate their respective families while Tracey and Harry joined Mrs. Davis.

"I've changed my mind," she said. "We will not be getting your school books today after all. Apparently Gilderoy Lockhart is signing autographs and he will be here all afternoon. We shall have to get them another day."

"Is the shop too crowded?" Harry asked. Tracey laughed.

"No," Mrs. Davis said. "I remember Lockhart from when I was a student at Hogwarts. He was a Slytherin student two years ahead of me and incredibly arrogant even then. He always seemed able to charm people into giving him what he wanted, including good grades. I seriously doubt he has done any of things he claims he's done in his books because, quite frankly, he seemed like a bit of an idiot."

"So you don't want to be anywhere near him then," Harry said.

"That's only part of the reason, Harry. You see he had a high opinion of himself and he felt he could get anything he wanted, including dates with any girl he liked. One day he asked me and I said no. He didn't take very kindly to it and became rather insistent, so I punched him on the nose."

"You what?" Tracey.

"You punched Lockhart?" Harry.

"Really mum?" Robert. All three spoke almost simultaneously.

Mrs. Davis looked embarrassed. 'Yes, you heard me right."

All of them started laughing. "You know that was the only detention I received in seven years at Hogwarts," Mrs. Davis continued. "Unfortunately Professor Slughorn, the head of Slytherin house at the time, saw me. He was not happy and told me off in no uncertain terms. Still, considering what has become of Lockhart since then, I do not regret my actions."

"So, you don't like Lockhart, then?" Tracey asked.

"You might put it that way. We had best go wait for Cyril and his family. I hope you both remember to thank him for looking after you over the next couple of weeks. If he wasn't doing that I would have to take time off work." Mrs. Davis was speaking to Tracey and Harry exclusively.

Harry wondered why Robert had been excluded from that discussion and why Robert wasn't being asked to look after Tracey and himself. He was 15 and a prefect but, apparently, Mrs. Davis didn't think he was responsible enough. He soon learnt the reason why, though. Robert would be visiting his new girlfriend and intended staying there for the remainder of the holidays.

After a brief visit to muggle London so Harry could buy some swimming togs the group returned to Diagon Alley. Apparently the Greengrasses felt somewhat differently about Lockhart; Daphne had one of the first to line up for an autograph and the family had then stayed in the shop while Lockhart signed more autographs. When they finally arrived Daphne had some news for them.

"Guess what happened at Flourish and Blotts during Lockhart's autograph signing session," she began.

"Lockhart's quill exploded and he got covered in ink?" asked Tracey.

"Did someone tip a bottle of ink over him?" Mrs. Davis asked.

"No!" Daphne sounded offended by the questions. "No, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy got into a fist fight right there in the shop."

"Really. What happened?" Tracey asked. She sounded excited.

"Mr. Malfoy was being his usual arrogant self, you know, about the Weasleys being poor and only being able to afford second-hand books and robes and the like. Then he said something about the company the Weasleys kept, I think he was referring to that Granger girl and her family being muggles, anyway Mr. Weasley attacked him. Several books were knocked over, the Weasley girl's cauldron was knocked out of her hands and they ended up on the floor. Then Hagrid showed up and separated them before dragging Mr. Weasley out of the shop. I think he was bleeding, and Mr. Malfoy had this massive bruise on his eye. Of course Lockhart decided it was great publicity. I think he said something about how his fans were fighting over who could get his autograph first. He's going to send each family a full set of his books, all autographed. I wish dad had gotten in a fight with someone, too."

"Well, I imagine the Weasleys would be happy about not having to pay for a full set of Lockhart books. They're not cheap and whoever the new DADA teacher is he or she is obviously a big fan of his," said Mrs Davis.

"Oh yeah, that's the other thing," Daphne continued. "Lockhart announced that he was the new DADA teacher at Hogwarts this year. This year is going to be great."

"Is Dumbledore out of his mind?" Mrs. Davis asked. "Why is he hiring that idiot?"

Daphne was shocked. "Lockhart's not an idiot. Look at all the things he's done."

"It seems we're stuck with him now anyway," Robert said. "I hope he is at the very least competent, I've got my Owls this year."

Harry and Tracey left with the Greengrasses while Mrs. Davis headed off home. The next day Harry and Tracey returned to Diagon Alley to purchase their text books. Mr. Greengrass escorted them while the rest of the Greengrass family stayed behind. It turned out that Mr. Greengrass had a low opinion about Lockhart but Mrs. Greengrass agreed with Daphne. Fortunately the family agreed to disagree about his abilities so no family argument ensued over their differing opinions.

Harry enjoyed his stay with the Greengrasses. Like the Malfoys they were an old family who could date their ancestry back to the days of the Vikings but, although wealthy, they had nothing like the wealth of the Malfoys. Harry was telling the girls (including Daphne's sister Astoria) about Malfoy Manor.

"The house and grounds are comparable in size to this estate," he began. "They don't have a swimming pool but they do have their own Quidditch pitch as well as tennis and other sports facilities. They have many more objects d'art than I've seen here, especially old statues and the like. They seem to have busts of all their ancestral heads of family stored in the Manor as well as paintings."

"The Malfoys always want to flaunt their wealth," Daphne put in. "To them, being rich is something that should be lauded over others. We Greengrasses, however, feel that wealth is something to be shared rather than locked away."

"I hear the Malfoys use some their wealth to try and influence the Ministry of Magic into passing or overturning certain laws," Tracey added.

"Anyway," Harry continued, "I spent most of my time there with Draco. The other Slytherin boys from our year came over at least once, Crabbe and Goyle several times, so we spent our free time either playing Quidditch or wandering around the grounds. Only when it was raining did we stay indoors."

"Sounds like you had a lot of fun there," Tracey said. "I hope you managed to finish your assignments."

"Yeah, I got them done. I was able to compare notes with Theo and I think I'll do ok."

"Then you can help Tracey and me finish our assignments," Daphne said.

"Hey, Harry's here to have fun," Astoria complained. "Come on, Harry, let's go swimming. Astoria took hold of Harry's arm and almost dragged him from the room.

They ended up swimming almost the whole afternoon. Harry wasn't a good swimmer, the Dursleys had never offered him swimming lessons after-all, but all three girls were willing to help him improve. It turned out Daphne was quite a strong swimmer as well as a patient teacher and Harry found he enjoyed working with her, with the others always nearby.

Harry managed to find enough time to help Tracey and Daphne complete their assignments before the end of the holidays and on the 1st of September they traveled together to King's Cross station where they met Mrs. Davis before crossing onto Platform 9&3/4 where they caught the Hogwarts express. As soon as the train had left the station Harry, Daphne and Tracey changed into their school robes before anyone else found them. Then they sat back and waited for Robert who they knew would come looking for them eventually. He arrived along with his girlfriend, a Slytherin 5th year named Louise Belmont, just in time for lunch which they ate together before Robert and Louise left.

Soon after Draco turned up followed, as usual, by Crabbe and Goyle. They mentioned that they had encountered an obviously Muggleborn 1st year who had a camera and was photographing everything he could find, much to the annoyance of many older students. Harry decided to try and avoid this boy, the last thing he wanted was a photographer dogging his footsteps all the time.

Before reaching Hogsmeade Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger stopped by their compartment. Ron said that the 1st year boy with the camera was asking about Harry. They thanked Ron for the warning and invited him and Hermione to stay for the remainder of the journey.

When they reached Hogsmeade the five of them shared an apparently self-propelled carriage like the ones Harry had seen at Christmas the previous year for the ride to the castle. Harry had been right, this was a much more comfortable method of travel than the boats had been.


	4. 4 The Sorting Ceremony

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 4: The Sorting Ceremony**

When they exited their carriage Ron and Hermione hurried away before any other Slytherins could join them. Harry, Tracey and Daphne stayed behind until Draco and Pansy caught up along with their respective entourages then they all entered the Great Hall together and sat at the Slytherin Table.

Once everyone had settled in they sat talking quietly until Professor McGonagall entered leading a line of 35 first years. Ginny Weasley stood out plainly among the first years – she was the only red head in the group. Harry noticed they all seemed as nervous as he had felt the previous year.

After the sorting hat's song (Harry realised it was different to the one it had sung last year) Professor McGonagall began reading the names. One of the first to be called out was a tiny, mousey haired boy named Creevey, Colin. When the boy stepped up to the hat Draco said, "That's the boy with the camera from the train."

The hat yelled "Gryffindor," much to Harry's relief and Colin went to join the lion's table. After that Harry paid only a passing interest in the remainder of the names. Whenever someone was sorted into Slytherin he clapped along with his housemates but it was only a courtesy. Finally Professor McGonagall read out the last name, Ginevra Weasley, who was sorted into Gryffindor and then took the hat away. Professor Dumbledore then announced that Professor Lockhart would be new DADA teacher before the welcoming feast arrived.

Over the feast Harry caught up with those students he hadn't spoken to over the holidays. Marcus Flint, the Quidditch captain, told Harry that, since he had missed the team meeting held in July, he would need to trial for his place on the team. Harry was happy to do this and suggested the whole team trial for their positions. Flint told him that would not be necessary.

Pansy asked Harry about his stay with the Malfoys. Draco had told her Harry had conducted himself very well but Pansy wanted to know how Harry felt. Harry said it had been an enjoyable experience and thanked her for the etiquette lessons. Pansy seemed very pleased with this.

A couple of the 1st years introduced themselves and Harry greeted them in a friendly manner, as did his fellow second years. There were only nine new Slytherins, four boys and five girls, and all but one of the boys seemed nervous. The only one who looked comfortable was a boy named Desmond Harper who said he would like try out for the seeker position on the Quidditch team. Several older students laughed at him for this, saying they already had the best seeker at Hogwarts as well as the best reserve seeker. Apparently Draco had his eyes on Harry's position on the team as well.

After everyone had finished eating and Dumbledore had made his final announcements (nothing out of the ordinary this time) the Slytherin prefects called for the first years to join them. All the older students set off individually or as a group with one of the prefects while the other prefects stayed to bring the first years' in as a group. The older students were given the password (Pureblood) and released to their dormatories. Harry stayed behind in the Common Room along with some other older students to listen to the instructions given to the first years. These were the same as last year so eventually Harry headed off to bed.

The dormitory layout was the same as last year. Harry still had the bed next to the en-suite and Blaise still had the bed next to his. The only difference was they were no longer in the dormitory closest to the Common Room; they were now in the next one along the hallway.

Next morning the second years' entered the Common Room as a group at 7-05 am. Just as had happened last year the prefects had gathered the first years and were addressing them. The speech, this year given by 7th year prefect Anthony Burke, was almost word for word the same one Harry had heard last year. Harry wondered if this speech was written down somewhere and prefects were required to learn it off by heart.

Soon after the prefects finished Professor Snape entered the Common Room carrying their timetables. First, he called the second years to him and went around handing them their timetables without comment. That done he moved to the third years. Harry noticed he gave each third year a specific timetable rather than one from the top of the stack as he had done for the second years.

Scanning his timetable Harry realised they shared the same classes with the other houses as they had during first year. He assumed this would continue throughout his schooling. While he was checking his timetable he heard Theo say, "First up today we've got Transfigurations then we have a free period before lunch. That means we'll only need one textbook this morning and we'll be able to read ahead for our other subjects."

"Only you would use a free period to read ahead, Nott," Draco said. "I will be using it to relax. Anyone want to join me?"

"Actually, reading ahead sounds like a good idea," Harry said. "Mind if I join you, Nott?"

Ultimately there was a near even split between students wanting to read ahead and those wanting to relax. Joining Theo and Harry were Blaise, Daphne, Tracey and Millicent, although she took a while before deciding.

Since the Slytherins had History of Magic and Charms that afternoon they spent most of their time learning about these subjects. Inevitably, however, the topic of Defence Against the Dark Arts came up. "Do you think Lockhart really did all the things he claims he's done?" Millicent asked.

"Probably not," Tracey replied. "He must only be around 40 and I'd say some of these events happened some time ago. I just don't see how one person could have achieved so much in such a short time. My bet is that 'ghost wrote' most if these books."

"I believe him," Daphne said.

"Well, we'll find out for ourselves Wednesday, won't we?" Harry said.

In fact, before they had even had a DADA class, they were given every reason to suspect Lockhart was a fraud. The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff 2nd years' had DADA Monday right before lunch, Lockhart's first class apparently, and when they came in for lunch they were clearly very angry. Apparently Lockhart gave the class a ridiculous test that had nothing to do with his subject and then he'd released a cage full of pixies without giving the students any instructions on how deal with them. In the ensuing chaos a couple of students had been injured while Lockhart had run off and abandoned his them. There was speculation amongst the Slytherins they may not even have a lesson from Lockhart since there were already people saying he should be sacked for incompetence.

The Slytherins had DADA with the Ravenclaws straight after lunch on Wednesday. Lockhart had not been sacked although there was a rumour he had been given a reprimand by Dumbledore about not teaching his students proper technique before exposing them to danger. As it turned out DADA class started off the same way as it had for the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students but, instead of releasing a cage full of pixies, Lockhart had simply told them about his own first encounter with them. In fact the students didn't even need their wands for the class. After it many students complained that DADA looked as if it would be as boring as History of Magic was.

Fortunately their other classes were somewhat more enjoyable. In Herbology they found out they would be handling Mandrakes. Several students from pure-blood families said Mandrakes were classified as a dangerous plant and people needed special permits to handle them. Harry found this very interesting and he became curious about what other plants could be classified as dangerous.

Charms and Transfiguration were as complex as usual while Astronomy was really no different from the previous year. Their first potions lesson was Thursday morning and as usual Snape spent a lot of time belittling the Gryffindor students while complimenting the Slytherins, especially Malfoy. Harry was happy to get out of class and out into the grounds after class, stopping only long enough to get something to eat. Unfortunately for Harry Lockhart was also outside during the lunch break.

"Well, well, Harry Potter. A pleasure to meet you outside of class, and Miss Davis, too," Lockhart said when he spotted Harry and Tracey sitting in the grass near the entrance.

"Hello, Professor," Harry replied warily. Tracey looked on, her expression neutral.

"I hear you are a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team; Seeker isn't it?"

"Yes," Harry replied.

"I was a Slytherin myself, and I played Seeker too. If you ever want any one-on-one coaching please feel free to come by anytime. I'm always willing to help special people improve their skills."

"I think I'd prefer to stick to team trainings, thanks. I find that it's better if all the team trains together, rather than individuals going off doing their own thing."

"Perhaps then I could come to a training session? That way everyone on the team will get the benefit of my expertise. I'll have a word with Severus and arrange something through him," Lockhart said before walking back into the Castle.

"Can you believe him?" Tracey asked. "How arrogant is he? Maybe he should see Snape? I'm sure Snape will put him in his place."

"I'll speak to Flint tonight at trials," Harry said. "Flint will undoubtedly tell Snape and then we can have a good laugh at Lockhart."

That evening Harry found himself having to trial for the seeker position in a one-on-one with Draco Malfoy. Harry was still riding the broom he had been loaned the previous year and felt he had a good chance of regaining his position until he saw Malfoy riding a Nimbus 2001, the latest model racing broom. Flint released the snitch and Harry and Draco set off after it. Malfoy's broom was much quicker than Harry's but even so he was surprised when Malfoy pulled up with snitch in his hand less than a minute into the trial. Immediately Flint said, "Well done Malfoy, we start training Saturday. Better luck next time, Potter." With that Harry found himself being dropped from the team.

Harry returned to the castle where he soon found out the truth. Draco's father had offered to supply the Slytherin team with a full set of Nimbus 2001's if Draco was given a place on the team. To ensure this happened a slower than usual snitch was released when Malfoy was closer to it than Harry.

"I can't believe it," Harry complained in the Common Room. "Malfoy just bought his way onto the team. That trial was rigged right from the start so he would catch the snitch. I never stood a chance."

"You'll just have to try and win your place back then, won't you?" Tracey said.

"And another thing," Harry continued. "It suddenly looks very suspicious that the Malfoy's servant was stopping my mail, which cost me my place on the team, and now Malfoy is my replacement."

"That is suspicious," Tracey admitted. "Harry, I think you should see Snape about this."

Harry almost laughed. "Snape doesn't like me, anyway. He'll never do anything to help me."

After finishing his homework Harry went up to bed. He was still angry with Draco but decided to let it be for now. Their first match would be against Hufflepuff so Slytherin should have an easy first-up win but after that things would get tougher and he knew that Slytherin would need the best possible team for their later matches. Perhaps he would be able to play his way back into the team in the New Year.


	5. 5 The Legend of the Chamber of Secrets

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 5: The Legend of the Chamber of Secrets**

Since he was no longer on the Quidditch team when Harry woke up Saturday morning he lay in bed thinking about what had happened. Yes; he was annoyed with Draco but he had to admit he couldn't prove conclusively Draco had ordered the family's servant to steal Harry's mail. It seemed unlikely Draco knew about the letter from Marcus Flint but even so Harry couldn't rule out entirely the possibility that the mail theft wasn't part of a greater scheme.

After breakfast Harry joined Theo and a few others in the library. He planned on finishing his homework and then going to visit Hagrid. While there, however, a group of Gryffindors including Hermione Granger came in. Hermione was upset about something and Harry was curious but before he could ask Ron Weasley said. "Oh, look, the gits are here. Just so you know, when we get our hands on Malfoy he will regret the day he bought his way onto the Slytherin Quidditch team."

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Malfoy called Hermione a mud-blood when she asked why Malfoy was on the team," Ron explained.

"In that case be my guest when you catch him. I won't stop you," Harry replied.

"I doubt anyone here would help him," Blaise added. "Just don't tell him what we just told you, though. We Slytherins are supposed to stick together." Theo, Daphne and Tracey all agreed.

After finishing their assignments the group headed to the Great Hall for lunch. As they approached the Great Hall they met Hagrid who was carrying a dead rooster. "Hello Hagrid. What's that?" Harry asked.

"I found it outside the chicken coop jus' now. Looks like someone killed it on purpose," Hagrid replied.

"Who'd want to kill a rooster?" Blaise asked. The others agreed.

"Dunno," Hagrid replied. "I was goin' to see the Headmaster about gettin' some better spells around the coop so it doesn't happen again."

Hagrid left for Dumbledore's office while the students continued on to lunch.

It was as they were leaving the Hall after lunch that Harry heard something. It sounded like a voice but there was nobody in sight. He stopped to listen and this caught the others' attention.

"Harry? Is something wrong?" Tracey asked.

"I can hear a voice. It sounds cold and heartless, like it's threatening someone," Harry replied.

"What voice?" Theo asked. The others also seemed confused.

Harry looked at them. "Can't any of you hear that?"

"No," Theo finally said.

Harry continued listening but the voice was getting fainter. He thought it might be moving toward the upper floors of the castle. "I can definitely hear something. It is getting fainter, like it's moving away."

"I still can't hear anything," Tracey said, sounding worried. "Harry, are you feeling ok?"

'I feel fine," he replied. "It's gone, I can't hear it anymore."

Slowly Harry started walking towards the Common Room along with the other students. He couldn't understand why nobody else could hear it since, to him. It had been quite plain. As they walked along the corridor to the Common Room Tracey said, "Look at those spiders."

"What about them?" Theo asked.

Tracey pointed to a long line of spiders all crawling towards a small crack in a window high above their heads. The spiders all seemed to be in a hurry and looked as if they were trying to push each-other out of the way so they could escape.

"That is strange," Theo commented. "Maybe a rat or something died up there and they are all hurrying to lay eggs in the body?"

"I guess so. Let's go," Harry said.

{}{}{}

Harry settled into his normal routine over the next couple of months. He hadn't heard any more of the mysterious voice and had now decided he must have imagined it. The fact that nobody else had heard it re-enforced this belief. With that out of the way things quickly returned to normal.

On a number of occasions Harry had gone to watch the Slytherin Quidditch team practicing. He had to admit that Draco was a good flyer and that maybe he had actually earned his place on the team with some genuine skill, although the circumstances of his selection still riled Harry. On a couple of occasions he had noticed the Weasley twins spying on the Slytherin team and had attempted to catch them but they always managed to sneak away. He told Marcus Flint of this and Flint asked him to spy on the Gryffindor trainings in return. Harry agreed.

In fact he didn't learn much about the Gryffindors during these spy missions. It seemed their tactics were much the same as last year although they had clearly refined their skills and speed. He passed this information onto Flint who then set him the task of spying on the Hufflepuff team since they would be Slytherin's first opponent.

As it turned out spying on the Hufflepuffs was easy. Their training sessions were basically open with no real attempt to stop students from other houses watching them. Since there was next to nothing to report he told Flint there was no need to spy on them anymore.

{}{}{}

Halloween was approaching. One day shortly before the holiday Harry was sitting with Tracey in the Common Room when she asked, "Do you have any plans for commemorating your parents this year?"

"Not really," he replied. "Last year was special, it was the first time I actually knew the truth about how they died and it was the 10th anniversary so it was something special but this year is just another Halloween. It doesn't have any particular significance."

Halloween itself was the usual feast with decorations all around the Hall. Harry had less contact with students from other houses this year but he still noticed a number of absentees at the Gryffindor table. Ron and Ginny Weasley, along with Hermione Granger, were absent but he didn't think much of it. There was a rumour that Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost, was having a party to celebrate his 500th Death-day, the 500th anniversary of his death, so it wasn't all that surprising that some Gryffindors were absent.

About two-thirds of the way through the feast Ron and Hermione returned and, when Harry looked around, he realised Ginny was there too. The guessed he must have missed her in the crowd earlier; she was quite short even by 1st year standards so it was possible.

As they were leaving the Slytherins noticed a large group of students clustered around the top of the Grand Staircase that led to the Castle's upper levels. Curious, they climbed the stairs. As they made their way up several startled shouts and screams were heard. Malfoy pushed his way to the front of the crowd, his usually pale face flushed with excitement. "Enemies of the Heir beware. You'll be next mud-bloods," Malfoy shouted.

Harry could now see there were huge, shining letters written on the wall. They read, 'The Chamber of secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir beware.'

Just then Argus Filch, the Caretaker, shoved his way into the middle of the students. "What's all this?" he demanded. Suddenly he stopped, staring at something immediately below the writing. Harry gasped. Hung on a torch bracket, like some horrific symbol of evil, was Mrs. Norris; Filch's pet cat.

Next to him, he heard Daphne and Tracey muttering quietly. They were clearly shocked by what they could see. Harry didn't know what to do.

Filch looked madly around the students. "Who did this?" he demanded, sounding almost hysterical. "Who killed my cat? I demand justice!"

"Argus." Professor Dumbledore had arrived, along with most of the other staff. He, along with Professors McGonagall, Snape and Lockhart moved to the front of the group surrounding Filch and Mrs. Norris.

"Everybody, please return to your dormatories. Quickly. Nobody is to leave the Common Rooms before breakfast tomorrow," Dumbledore said. Harry noted even Dumbledore seemed worried.

In the Common Room everybody was talking about what had happened. Most people seemed to think Harry was responsible but Harry himself was as confused as worried as Dumbledore seemed.

"Potter," Theo began. "I'm surprised you attacked Filch's cat. Still, I guess you have to start somewhere."

"I didn't do it," Harry replied.

"Come off it Potter," Malfoy put in. "We all know you are the Heir of Slytherin. Can you show us where the chamber is?"

"What chamber?" Harry asked.

"You mean you don't know about the Chamber of Secrets?" Malfoy asked.

"No. What is it?"

Malfoy sat on a couch and invited Harry to sit. Harry joined him on the couch while dozens of other students crowded around. Malfoy seemed pleased to have such a large audience.

"When Hogwarts was founded around a thousand years ago each of the four founders had their own ideas about how magical children should be educated," Malfoy began. "One thing they all agreed on was that witches and wizards needed to be protected from muggles who might try to harm or even kill them. So they built Hogwarts in an out-of-the-way location where there were no muggle villages. This allowed them more freedom to teach young witches and wizards without the threat from muggles than they would have otherwise had.

"Once that was done they set about identifying children with the potential to learn magic. One thing that was obvious even at that time was that wizards tended to have wizarding children. Because of this the founder of our house, Salazar Slytherin, decided that only the children of witches and wizards should be allowed to learn magic. It was simply a matter of protecting the power to prevent it falling into the hands of people who could be a danger to us.

"He was, of course, completely right in his decision but the other three founders disagreed. This led to a series of disputes and finally there was a big argument between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Even though Slytherin was right the other two founders sided with Gryffindor and our Great Founder was forced from the castle. Before leaving, however, Slytherin built a secret chamber that only his true Heir would be able to open. In this chamber is the beast of Slytherin, a creature that only his true Heir can control. Potter, if you are the true Heir of Slytherin then it's your duty to take control of this beast and finish Salazar Slytherin's illustrious duty; to rid Hogwarts of the unworthy."

Once Draco had finished there was silence as people took in what had been said. Harry knew he hadn't unleashed a monster but clearly someone had and, as a result, his status as the Heir of Slytherin was being challenged. In the year since he had found out that his ability to talk to snakes meant people thought he was the Heir he had been able to use his status to improve inter-house relations and had even managed to get at least some Slytherins to respect muggleborns for what they were; witches and wizards in training just like the purebloods.

"I am the Heir of Slytherin," Harry said. "I did not release a beast from the chamber and now I want to know who the pretender to my throne is. Is anyone here willing to help me?"

"This might be interesting, I'm in," Theo said.

"Of course I'll help you, Harry," Tracey said.

"Davis is just trying to protect her status as the girlfriend of the Heir of Slytherin," Pansy said, in a condescending voice.

"So what if I am?" Tracey growled. "I know Harry wouldn't attack a cat just because nobody likes it."

"So that's Theo and Tracey," Harry interrupted before an argument could start. "Anyone else?"

"Sign me up," Daphne said. Blaise also nodded his agreement.

"First thing tomorrow we need to start research. Firstly we need to know more about the Chamber itself as well as what is in it. Malfoy? I don't suppose you have any more information on it do you?"

"I know the last time it was opened a mud-blood died, and that it was opened 50 or so years ago," Draco replied, the sneer still obvious.

"Well that's a start, and we know it must be something related to Slytherin, probably a serpent of some sort," Theo said.

"So we need to find out about what types of snakes can do that, especially the hanging it from a torch bracket thing. That does seem especially nasty," Harry said.

"Tomorrow then," Theo said. "For now, let's get some sleep."


	6. 6 Petrified

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 6: Petrified**

At breakfast the following morning the students were informed that Mrs. Norris was not, in fact, dead. She had apparently been petrified. Dumbledore explained that her internal organs and muscles had been turned into stone but that it would be possible to restore her normal condition. All it would take would be sufficient time for the school's Mandrake plants to mature and then a potion could be made that would restore her health.

In the meantime students were asked to be careful and to report to a teacher any unusual occurrences they may become aware of. He particularly wanted information about any person seen acting peculiarly or who they saw sneaking around the castle.

"Does anyone have any idea what might be able to petrify something?" Theo asked. Nobody could answer that question.

Over the following week almost the only topic of discussion amongst the students was 'What had attacked Mrs. Norris?' It quickly became clear that the whole school was curious about it and, indeed, somewhat afraid of what had happened. Filch was making sure nobody forgot either. He began hanging around the area where Mrs. Norris had been found as if he expected the attacker to return. When not manning this post he was prowling the corridors threatening student with detention for even minor things such as laughing, talking loudly or even looking happy.

Saturday saw the first Quidditch match of the year. Slytherin were down to play Hufflepuff and Malfoy would be making his debut as seeker for Slytherin. Everybody went down to the pitch to watch the game. Harry sat with his fellow Slytherins cheering their team on but keeping a close eye on Malfoy as he soared through the air. Harry got the impression Malfoy was showboating, displaying his flying skill rather than concentrating on his job as seeker, a fact he decided to comment on.

"Malfoy better pay attention to his job or he could end up making a fool of himself."

"Relax Potter, Hufflepuffs are useless. Malfoy might as well have some fun," Crabbe said.

"Maybe," Harry replied, "but if he doesn't turn around he'll miss the snitch." Harry pointed to a space about 10m behind Malfoy.

"There's nothing there, Potter," Crabbe said.

"No, Potter's right," Blaise said.

Just then they heard a shout from Slytherin captain Flint. "Malfoy, behind you, you idiot."

Malfoy turned around just as the Hufflepuff seeker Cedric Diggory shot past him. Harry could see the look of shock on Malfoy's face as he turned but it was already too late, Diggory caught the snitch while Malfoy was still several metres away giving Hufflepuff the win by 150 – 80.

The Hufflepuffs were of course delighted as were the students from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. As they left the stadium they could hear the cheering from these students still in the stadium all the way to the castle and it was a relief to get back inside so they didn't have to listen to it any more.

Hours later Flint walked into the Common Room. He looked around until he located Harry and then made his way over. "Potter," he began, "You're back on the team. When training restarts after Christmas break you will be training with us and Malfoy will be training with the reserves."

"Where are the rest of the team?" Harry asked.

"Probably beating the crap out of Malfoy for his stupidity during the game. I really don't care about that, though," Flint said before heading up the dormitories.

Crabbe and Goyle decided they should go help Malfoy so they set off in search of him while the others wondered if the team would actually hurt him. The consensus was they wouldn't but it was likely Malfoy would face some form of humiliation over the game.

When Malfoy did return with Crabbe and Goyle in tow soon after he went straight to where Harry was sitting. "Hello, Potter," he said.

"Hello, Malfoy. Are you alright?" Harry asked.

"So, Flint has already put you back on the team has he? Don't I even get to trial against you?"

"Flint is the captain," Harry said. "It's his job to make these calls. I guess he thought I might be just as good as you and that he wanted me back on the team. I have no say in matters like this."

"Well, good luck. Try not to make a fool of yourself," Malfoy said before heading to the dormitory.

Next morning when the Slytherins arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast they realised something was wrong. Throughout the Hall students were muttering quietly, totally unlike the normal loud chatter that occurred during meal times. They noticed, too, that as soon as they entered the Hall almost every student turned to face them with looks of fear on their faces. "Something's wrong," an older student muttered. Several people nodded in agreement.

"Attention please," Professor Dumbledore said. "For those of you who haven't heard last night a second year boy, Justin Finch-Fletchly was found in the corridor near where Mrs. Norris was attacked last week. He has been petrified and is now in the hospital wing. Also found at the scene was the Gryffindor ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsey Porpington, more commonly known as 'Nearly Headless Nick.' Nick has been transformed into a dark shadow and has been moved to a secure location.

"Needless to say this is a serious situation. The staff and I have agreed we need to conduct a thorough search of the school to try and locate the perpetrator. I ask that, until this matter is resolved, all students be careful and that, if you see or hear anything out of the ordinary, you tell a teacher immediately."

"We have got to do something," Harry muttered quietly to those around him. "Dumbledore clearly thinks the Heir of Slytherin is responsible."

"What can we do, though?" asked Tracey.

"We need to study harder to try and discover what is happening," Theo said. "I just wish we knew where to start looking."

"Dumbledore said both attacks took place near the same location," Blaise said. "I think that is where we should start looking."

"I agree, but how are we going to search for clues in an area that is obviously under extra surveillance now?" Harry added.

"I think a couple of us should casually walk past there when we leave here," Daphne said. "As we walk past we look around for anything odd but we'd have to keep moving otherwise people might think we're up to something."

"It's a start," Theo said. "As I recall there is a girls' bathroom near that place. I think you and Tracey should do the searching. That would be less suspicious than us guys doing it."

With that agreed they finished their breakfast.

Over the next week there was a noticeable increase in the level of tension around the castle. The first years especially seemed frightened by events. The only one who didn't appear concerned was Professor Lockhart.

"Now, now, there is no need to look so worried," he said at the beginning of their next lesson. "As long as I am here and you all follow instructions there is nothing to worry about. Why, it's only a matter of time until I identify the culprit. Once that happens it will all be over. I must say, too, that the culprit would be very wise if they stopped now before I catch them. It is easily their best option." Nobody took him seriously, however.

Daphne and Tracey's reconnaissance mission turned up nothing other than the fact the bathroom in question was haunted by a ghost named Moaning Myrtle and that she hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary during either attack.

Saturday saw Gryffindor play Ravenclaw in their first Quidditch match for the year. Gryffindor recorded a comfortable win over the defending champions showing that Ravenclaw were very much in a rebuilding stage. It was in the evening after the match that the school was disturbed by another shock discovery. A first year Gryffindor boy was found petrified with a camera held in front of his face.

All students were immediately sent to their Common Rooms. Professor Snape made a rare appearance in the Common Room to address the students. "As you have heard there has been another attack on a muggleborn student. This time it was a Gryffindor first year named Colin Creevey. I do not need to tell you this is a very serious matter and is of the gravest concern to the staff."

"Sir," Malfoy began, "it seems to me that only mu-ggle-borns are being attacked. Shouldn't we all be safe from attack because of our blood status?"

Snape glared at Malfoy, something he had never done before. "Do you have any information that may be relevant to this matter?"

"No, sir," Malfoy replied.

"Then kindly keep your opinions to yourself. The staff and pupils already suspect that it is a Slytherin who is responsible. I sincerely hope this is not the case since our house is already viewed with suspicion and distrust by the other houses. Already there have been calls for all Slytherin students to be suspended until the culprit is caught. Fortunately wiser heads prevailed and no such action is planned at present."

After he finished speaking Snape looked over everyone in the room. Harry got the impression Snape was looking into the student's minds and it made him feel even more nervous. Without saying anything more Snape swept from the room.

"Can you believe that?" an older student asked. "They can't kick us out just because of the house we're in." Nobody disagreed.

"Typical," Malfoy snarled. "We finally get someone who is trying to clean up Hogwarts and the others all want us thrown out. What they should do is ban muggleborn students, then there wouldn't be a problem."

"That kind of attitude isn't going to help us, Malfoy," Harry said. "We need to find out who is doing this and stop them. Until whoever is responsible is caught we are all in danger and not just from this monster, whatever it is." Several people agreed with Harry although some thought Malfoy was right.

Harry and his group moved away from Malfoy and his group. Eventually the rest of the students moved to one or other group to offer support. Harry was pleased to see that most of the students sided with him. Malfoy's expression clearly showed his contempt for Harry's group.

"We need to find out where that boy was when he was attacked," Tracey said.

"That shouldn't be too hard. What we really need is a clear opportunity to examine the scenes of all the attacks, try and find out if they have anything in common," Harry said.

"We know both previous attacks occurred near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and that so far all attacks have been on people who were alone at the time," Theo said.

"What about the boy who was attacked when he was with the ghost?" one of the newcomers asked.

"We don't know if they were attacked together or one of them just happened along afterwards," Theo replied. "Maybe the ghost was attacked first and then that boy arrived later, or maybe it was the other way around."

"Tracey? Can I talk to you alone?" Harry asked.

Harry and Tracey stepped away from the group. "I think I might be able to use my cloak," Harry explained in a whisper. Tracey nodded.

"We've got a plan," Harry said to the group. "We can't put it into effect tonight because security will obviously be tighter than usual but, in a few days' time, we should be able to make it work. For now I think we could all use a good night's sleep."

The students headed toward their dormitories. As they left the Common Room Harry caught Draco's eye and the two of them exchanged glares before Draco pushed past Harry and entered the dormitory. Harry made a note to keep an eye on Draco at all times over the forthcoming days.


	7. 7: The Case of the Exploding Cauldron

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 7: The Case of the Exploding Potion**

Harry and Tracey decided to wait a few days before going undercover. For one thing security was at the moment much tighter than usual and Slytherins were being more closely watched than other students anyway. Clearly most people, including most of the staff by the look of it, felt a Slytherin was to blame. They agreed that putting it off for a few days would be better than charging in straight away.

They waited until Friday night to slip out of the Common Room and begin their search around where the attacks took place. During the week they had learnt that the latest attack had occurred in the same corridor as the others but in a different location, although the first two sites were visible from where the third one had happened.

Their exploration revealed nothing definite although there were some unusual scorch marks on the floor. They noticed a group of spiders seemingly fleeing from the area and made a note of it but they couldn't see any reason for this behaviour. They just assumed the spiders had somewhere more important to be, perhaps a new nesting site they were fighting over.

While there they did go into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, hoping that she might have seen or heard something but Myrtle wasn't very helpful.

"What are you doing here?" Myrtle screeched at Harry. "This is a girl's bathroom."

"It's alright Myrtle," Tracey replied. "Harry and I would just like to talk to you, if you don't mind?"

"Oh, alright," moaned Myrtle.

"Did you see or hear anything unusual around here the night that boy was attacked?" Tracey asked.

"I wasn't in here that night," Myrtle replied. "I don't spend all my time in here you know. I do visit other parts of the castle."

"Ok then. We're sorry for disturbing you, Myrtle. Thank you for allowing us to visit. Maybe we'll see you again later," Tracey said. Myrtle sniffed as Tracey led Harry out of the bathroom.

Saturday morning they got together with their research group to report their findings.

"We still have no idea how these people were petrified," Harry explained. "The only new evidence we have uncovered is that there were scorch marks on the floor near where the first attack took place but we don't know if they are related to the case or not."

"We did notice more spiders behaving strangely but seems no logic to that, even," Tracey added.

"So basically we're no better off today than we were a week ago," Theo said, sounding disappointed.

"It seems to me we're putting in a lot of effort for no result," Blaise said. "I wonder if we should just forget about it. We still have classes to attend and assignments to do."

"I agree with Blaise," Theo said. "Until we get a better idea of what we're looking for we're just wasting our time. It's no different than last year. Remember how long it took to figure out about the Philosopher's Stone?"

"And remember too, the break on that occasion came from a chocolate frog card," Daphne put in.

Even though Harry and Tracey didn't like it they had to admit the others were right. Although they, along with everyone else, wanted to solve the mystery they had no clues to go on and no real idea of what they were up against. Like the others they decided their time would be better spent doing their assignments and homework.

Less than two weeks later the Slytherins were in potions with Gryffindors. Today they were attempting to make a swelling solution. Harry Tracey were working on the table in front of Crabbe and Goyle. Knowing how unskilled the two boys were they were occasionally checking behind them to see if anything was amiss but everything seemed to be alright until suddenly there was a loud bang behind them. Somehow Goyle had managed to cause his potion to explode and everybody around them, Harry and Tracey included, were drenched in the nearly finished potion.

Harry could feel his back expanding, forcing his head and neck forward. All around him there were people screaming and shouting and Snape was having a significant degree of difficulty trying to re-establish order. Eventually things began calming down.

"Everybody who has been affected by the potion please line up calmly and quietly so I may administer the antidote," Snape said over the noise.

Harry managed to get near the front of the queue with Tracey, whose head and ears were about twice their normal size, right next to him. Both received their dose of the antidote and returned to their table while it took effect.

Once everyone was back to normal Snape dipped a ladle into Goyle's destroyed cauldron and fished around until he scooped something out of it. Harry could see it was clearly the remains of an exploded firecracker. Harry felt a surge of anger when he realised it had been a deliberate act of sabotage.

Snape was just as angry. "When I find out who is responsible for this," he began in a deathly whisper that nonetheless everybody heard, "I shall personally see that they are expelled." The last part was spoken in a much louder voice.

Harry was one of several students who needed to return to the dormatories to change clothes. His school robes were ripped across the back; the result of the expanding body parts underneath having grown too large for them. After changing he joined his housemates in the Common Room where they were angrily debating what had happened.

"We know it was a Gryffindor who threw that cracker," Malfoy said. "That whole class of Gryffindors should be suspended until the person responsible confesses, then that person should be expelled."

"Don't those idiots even realise how dangerous that sort of thing is?" Theo said.

"Of course they don't. All Gryffindors are stupid," Pansy replied.

"And Goyle's cauldron is liable to explode anyway, even without that kind of stupidity," Blaise put in.

"No it isn't," Goyle said.

"Yes it is Goyle," Malfoy replied, scathingly. "Go read a comic while we sort out what we're going to do."

"I only wish we could prove which one of them did it," Theo said.

"Whoever it was they must be really stupid," Harry added. "Crabbe and Goyle copped the worst of it but Tracey and I got badly hit too. In fact over half the class was injured because of their stupidity."

"How many of those who were hit with the potion were Gryffindors? Blaise asked.

"Not many. At least it looked like most of those lining up for the antidote were Slytherins, there weren't many Gryffindors in the group," Theo replied.

"But there were some though, right?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, one or two," Theo replied. "Undoubtedly most of the victims were Slytherins and all those badly affected were Slytherins. The Gryffindors who needed antidote seemed only to have been hit by stray splashes of potion, not direct contact with it."

"We know a Gryffindor was responsible. I think we should concentrate our efforts into finding who did it and then finding a way to target that person specifically," Harry put in. "I doubt Snape would stop us taking revenge on an individual if we could prove they were responsible."

"Do you think there might be a way to trick whoever is responsible into revealing themselves?" Daphne asked.

"Probably not," Malfoy said, "but there are other things we could try. I know Snape has several strong truth potions in his office. If one of us could sneak in there and 'borrow' some we could put it in the Gryffindor's food and ask them."

'What types of potions does Snape have?" asked Harry.

"He's bound to have some Veritaserum. I think that's the strongest and most reliable potion available for use in interrogations."

"Okay, even if we manage to get some, don't you think it likely Snape will notice if something like that goes missing?" Theo asked.

"We could replace it with something that looks the same. Hopefully it would take him a while realise a switch had been made," Malfoy told the others but clearly many disagreed with him.

"Snape would probably know the moment someone entered his office or storeroom," Theo said. "I wouldn't be surprised if the doors were booby-trapped to set off an alarm the moment someone entered one of them without permission."

"I daresay Theo's right there, Malfoy," Harry added.

"Even if they aren't booby-trapped I'm sure he'd notice if one of his potions vials was moved even an inch from where they normally are," Theo continued.

"We need a better plan," said Daphne. "Anyway, even if we did manage to get some of the potion and identified which one of them was responsible, whoever we tell is going to want to know how we found out who it was. How will we explain that?"

Everyone realised Daphne was right. Even if they managed to identify the culprit there was very little they could do. If they were going to have their revenge they would need to be more underhand in their methods. And being underhanded was something Slytherins were well known for.

That evening, as Harry sat with Tracey in the Common Room finishing his homework, Tracey was searching for something in her bag. After a few minutes she said, "I can't find my bracelet, you know, the one with the silver clasp and the gold chain. I know I had it on this morning and I took it off as we went into potions to keep it safe, but now I can't find it."

"Maybe it fell out of your bag during class?" Harry offered.

"I hope that's all it is," she replied. "I'd hate to lose it, and it is quite valuable both in actual value and sentimental value."

"It's not yet curfew. Perhaps you could go look for it in the classroom?"

"I think I will. I'd better see Snape first, though. I don't want him to accuse me of trying to steal things from the classroom." Tracey left the Common Room, leaving Harry alone to finish his assignments.

When she returned half an hour later she had both the bracelet and a potions text book. "While I was there I decided to have a quick look in the storage cupboards in the room," she explained. "I found a complete set of potions text books and they had all these extra notes in the margins. I doubt Snape would mind me borrowing the book for our year so I grabbed it."

"In other words, you stole from Snape," Harry said.

"Not stole; borrowed. I intend to return the book once I've tried out some of the suggestions the last owner made for improving their results. It can't hurt, after-all." Tracey had mischievous glint in her eyes as she spoke.

"Do you think you'll get away with it?"

"As long as I'm careful and don't do anything stupid, I should be alright. Do you want to borrow it if it does improve my grades?"

"I think I'll reserve judgement on that for now," Harry replied. "If it works then maybe I'll take a look at it too."

During their next potions class they noticed Snape paying very close attention to the Gryffindors while largely ignoring the Slytherins. Taking advantage of this Tracey tried the first experimental variation for the potion they were working on. The result was impressive. Her potion looked exactly how it was described in the textbook whereas Harry's potion looked wrong. He compared his notes with what was written in the book and decided to try the variation himself. Almost immediately his potion changed to what was described in the book.

"It looks like that book was right," Harry said as he read over Tracey's shoulder. "Do you think the other notes are as accurate as that one was?"

"The only way to find out is to try them," Tracey replied. "I think I'm going to copy all the notes in this book into mine, though. The longer I keep this book the more likely Snape is to notice it is missing."

"Good idea. Can I borrow your book once you've finished transcribing the notes?" Harry asked.

"Sure you can. I think my grades are about to become much better,' Tracey said, smiling.


	8. 8 Dueling Before Christmas

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 8: Dueling Before Christmas**

When Tracey returned the potions book to the classroom she noticed other textbooks meant for use in more advanced classes. She decided to ask for the more advanced potions books before they would actually be needed. Harry checked with Robert and found out his old book was quite tatty and would not be suitable for passing onto another owner so he decided that since her birthday was coming up he would buy her the next level's potions book as a present.

Tracey's birthday was much the same as last years' had been. She, along with a few friends including Harry, shared a cake her mother had sent her while she opened her presents. Harry had made sure to give her the book when there was nobody else around and he had added a brand new eagle feather quill and colour changing ink. Tracey was delighted with the present and said Harry could borrow the book once she had finished adding the extra notes to it.

Of more interest, however, was a notice that appeared on the Common Room notice board a few days later. Hogwarts would be starting a dueling club and everybody decided they would like to join.

"I wonder who will be running it," Daphne asked as the Slytherin second years headed to the Great Hall for their first dueling lesson.

"I heard Professor Flitwick used to be a dueling master," Theo said.

""Let's hope it's him then," Harry said. "I'll be happy with anyone as long as it's not Lockhart."

When they entered the hall Harry, along with most of his housemates, groaned. Standing in the middle of the room, dressed in hideous plum coloured robes, was Professor Lockhart. Standing next to him stood Professor Snape, dressed in his usual black.

"Gather round," Lockhart called. "Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent."

"Unfortunately, yes," Harry muttered, just loud enough for Blaise and Tracey to hear but no one else.

"Professor Dumbledore has given me permission to start this dueling club, so that if any of you ever find yourselves in a situation where you need to defend yourselves, as I have on numerous occasions, you will have at least some idea of what to do. For full details see my published works." Harry couldn't believe Lockhart was trying to promote his books even in a situation like this.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," Lockhart continued. "He tells me knows a tiny little bit about duelling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a little demonstration before we begin. There is no need to worry; you will still have your Potions master when I'm through with him."

"Hopefully Snape will curse Lockhart's face off, that would be amusing," Draco muttered quietly.

Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed. Snapes bow was a curt nod while Lockhart performed some ridiculously complicated procedure which involved a lot of twirling hands and bobbing of the head. It looked so silly Harry struggled to not burst out laughing.

"As you see," Lockhart continued after his performance, "we are holding our wands in the accepted fashion for the commencement of our duel. On the count of three, we cast our spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

Harry heard someone muttering nearby, "Don't count on it. Snape looks like he might be."

"One, two, three," Lockhart counted out loud.

Immediately Snape cast "Expelliarmus," a flash of light and Lockhart was thrown against the wall behind him, his wand went flying across the room where it was caught by a Gryffindor girl who looked ecstatic.

"I hope he's alright," Hermione Granger was clearly heard to say. Most other people looked happy to see Lockhart get flattened, however.

Lockhart looked somewhat worse for wear as he stood up. "There you have it," Lockhart said as he staggered back to the stage. "That was a disarming spell and, as you can see, I've lost my wand. Thank you, Miss Brown. An excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, although I must say it was pretty obvious what you intended doing and, if I'd wanted to, I could have blocked it with ease."

Lockhart must have spotted the furious look on Snape's face because he suddenly said, "Enough demonstrating! I think it best if you all pair up and practice disarming on each other. Professor Snape, if you would like to help me divide everyone up."

Harry turned to Tracey but, before he could say anything Lockhart was there. "Harry," Lockhart began, "perhaps you could partner with Miss Granger; Miss Davis against Miss Bulstrode."

Harry looked at Tracey who shrugged. Before Harry turned to face Hermione he saw that Snape had placed Draco up against Ron Weasley. Then Lockhart was speaking, "Is everybody ready? Right then for your first lesson you are to try and disarm your opponent. Only disarm. No attack spells; we don't want any accidents. Right, then bow to your opponent." Harry gave Hermione a curt nod which she returned. "On three," Lockhart continued. "One, two, three."

Harry and Hermione both shouted "Expelliarmus." Their spells collided and ricocheted off at an angle that saw them both hit other people. In an instant there was chaos, with rebounding spells and wands flying in all directions. In the chaos that followed several people collided with each other. Millicent and Hermione got tangled together and struggled to free themselves, very nearly coming to blows in the process.

"Enough, stop, everybody stop," Lockhart shouted into the chaos with almost no effect.

"Finite," Snape yelled and, in a few seconds, order was restored. Several students had suffered minor injuries and it took several minutes for the teachers to regain control and tend to the injured. Eventually Snape said, "I think it may perhaps be a good idea to teach them how to block unfriendly spells before we continue."

"An excellent suggestion," Lockhart said. "If we could have a couple to demonstrate, Harry, Hermione, here please."

"Might I suggest a different duo," Snape said. "Malfoy and Weasley, perhaps?"

"Why not," Lockhart said, sounding flustered. "Come along, then."

As Ron and Draco walked up to the stage Harry saw Snape say something to Draco and saw Draco grin in return.

"The correct defence is thus," Lockhart said. He performed a silly looking flourish and twirl then dropped his wand. Most of the students laughed. "Whoops, my wand got a little overexcited," Lockhart said as picked up his fallen wand.

"Lockhart is an imbecile," Harry said.

"No he isn't," Hermione replied, looking scandalised. "He's a genius."

"On three, then," said Lockhart. "One, two, three."

Draco shouted "Serpensortia." A long, black snake appeared and slithered toward Ron who seemed petrified by the sight of it.

"Stand still Weasley," Snape said as he approached the snake but Lockhart cut in front. Lockhart's spell caused the snake to fly into the air and when it landed it angrily hissed at a third year boy Harry didn't know.

The boy jumped back as Harry stepped forward. "Stop," Harry said to the snake. It turned to him. "Stay there, no one will hurt you," Harry continued.

"Vipera evanesca," Snape said and the snake disappeared in a puff of smoke. Harry suddenly realised nearly everybody in the hall was looking at him. He turned to Hermione and was surprised when she stepped away from him looking terrified. Harry returned to his Slytherin housemates, must if whom were grinning at him.

"I think we should leave it there for today," Lockhart said in a strange voice totally unlike his usual voice.

The Slytherins left in a group. Once clear of the hall Draco said, "Smart move, Potter. Talking to that snake would have scared the daylights out of those mud-bloods back there."

"I only told the snake not to attack and that no-one would harm it," Harry said.

"Maybe," Draco said, "but they don't know that, do they?"

Harry realised he was right. Only people who could talk to snakes would have understood him. "Did anyone notice if someone seemed to understand me back there? I wonder if whoever is opening the Chamber of Secrets was present."

Nobody had but then again most people were interested in how the boy the snake had faced had reacted at the time.

The next day was the last day of classes for the term. Some of the teachers decided to emulate Snape by arranging a surprise test to see how much students had remembered from their first term. Harry didn't mind but many other students did.

"That's so unfair," growled Draco Malfoy as they left Transfigurations that day. "What gives McGonagall the right to drop a test on us like that? Isn't there some rule saying we need advanced notice of any tests?"

"No, there isn't, Malfoy," Nott replied. "Besides, I like idea of surprise assessments like that. It keeps you on your toes. You agree with me don't you, Harry?"

Harry never got a chance to reply, however. Just ahead of them they heard a thud then a scream. The boys darted around the corner and stopped dead in their tracks. Pansy Parkinson was laying on the floor having tripped over a boy who lay there as stiff as a board. The boy was the same one Harry had saved from the snake during the dueling club the day before.

"What is going on here?" Professor McGonagall demanded. They she saw what had happened. "Merlin's beard."

Pansy's scream had attracted many other people, both staff and students. Quickly, Professor McGonagall moved the students, other than Pansy, on while arranging for the boy to be moved to the hospital wing. A number of the other Slytherins tried explaining what had happened but McGonagall moved them off, allowing only Millicent Bulstrode to remain.

When Pansy and Millicent returned to the Common Room they explained what had happened to them. "McGonagall took us to Dumbledore's office and then summoned Snape before asking me to tell them exactly what happened," Pansy began. "I told them I was walking from class towards the Great Hall for lunch talking to Millie when I tripped over something. I only realised I had tripped over a person who had been petrified when I went to stand up afterwards."

"Do they have any idea who is responsible for these attacks?" Draco asked.

Pansy shook her head. "I don't think so, but I think they are now considering closing the school if they don't stop."

"They wouldn't close the school, would they?" Harry asked. The last thing he wanted to do was return to the Dursley's, especially several months earlier than necessary.

"Apparently they are considering it," Pansy said.

Harry, along with most of the students, was now worried about his immediate future. Draco Malfoy, however, seemed quite happy with events.

"Smart move Potter, attacking that muggleborn Ravenclaw during class time like that," he said in a gloating voice. "Now they can't suspect you."

"But I didn't," Harry protested. "These attacks will have to stop or I could end up back at the Dursley's. That's the last thing I want to happen."

"Harry's right," Theo said. "Whoever is behind these attacks, and I'm certain it's not Harry, has to be stopped. Our futures depend on it."

Malfoy realised he was in a very small minority and decided to keep his opinions to himself after that but it was clear he resented the attitudes of his housemates.

Over the next couple of days most students packed up to return home for Christmas. Whereas last year there had been about 50 students staying at Hogwarts over the holidays this year there were only about 30, nearly half of those being Slytherins. Unusually Draco had decided to stay for Christmas so naturally Crabbe and Goyle were also staying. Tracey was the only 2nd year girl staying behind and she admitted she was disappointed she wouldn't be able to sleep in Harry's dormitory this year. She said it was a pity boys couldn't get into the girls dormitory; if they could she would have invited Harry to join her but Harry pointed out even that wouldn't work since Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were bound to notice his absence from the dormitory and would surely ask where he was. Tracey realised he was right and dropped the idea, heading off instead to her own dormitory.


	9. 9 What's wrong with Crabbe and Goyle?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 9: What's wrong with Crabbe and Goyle?**

Harry and Tracey managed to spend most of their time over the first week of the holidays together. As they had done last year they concentrated on their assignments and homework so as to be finished well in advance. Malfoy started joining in with them after a couple of days claiming he was bored with only Crabbe and Goyle to talk to. When Malfoy was present they didn't do anything potions related – they didn't want him to find out about their annotated books. When they were alone they concentrated on their potions assignments.

By Christmas day they had finished their work meaning they were able to relax and enjoy the time off. At the Christmas feast Harry noted there were as many students at the Slytherin table as there were at the other three house tables combined. All the Weasleys were seated at the Gryffindor table along with Hermione and Neville but no other students while there were five students at Ravenclaw and only three at Hufflepuff. Also there were seven staff at the Teacher's table. This meant a total of just 37 people staying at Hogwarts over Christmas instead of the school's normal population of about 320.

"No surprise there are so few students really," Malfoy said as he sat down. "The rest are probably too scared to stay here because of the Heir." He nodded to Harry as he was speaking. Harry chose to ignore him. He had given up trying to convince Malfoy he was not the Heir and now simply couldn't be bothered with him.

After the feast Crabbe and Goyle stayed behind eating whatever they could get their hands on. Everybody else left for the Common Room.

Half an hour later Malfoy decided he should go look for Crabbe and Goyle who still hadn't returned. He said, "It wouldn't surprise me if those two had forgotten where the Common Room is, or maybe they've forgotten the password," as he left the Common Room.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they have forgotten the password," Tracey said to Harry after Malfoy had left. "They probably are that stupid." Harry agreed with her.

When Malfoy returned he had Crabbe and Goyle with him. Both appeared to be somewhat confused or nervous while Malfoy had a look of exasperation on his face. It seemed they had indeed forgotten the password.

"Honestly, that Peter Weasley, what a jerk," Malfoy said as he sat down.

"Percy Weasley," Crabbe muttered.

"Whatever," said Malfoy. "I suppose he thinks he can catch the Heir of Slytherin on his own, sneaking around the castle alone like that."

From that Harry guessed that Percy Weasley had caught Crabbe and Goyle and had been lecturing them about their behaviour.

"Do you think he knows who the Heir is?" Goyle asked. Harry was surprised; Goyle had asked an intelligent question.

"No chance," Malfoy said. "Harry is the Heir but he keeps saying he's not the one responsible and I'm beginning to think he may be telling the truth."

"I am telling the truth," Harry said. "What reason would I have for attacking muggleborns? Admittedly that Creevey kid was a real nuisance but he finally figured out I didn't want him hanging around, and I don't even know that Ravenclaw who was attacked a couple of weeks ago."

"What about Justin?" Crabbe asked.

"I have no reason to dislike him," Harry replied. "Besides, I don't think I've even spoken to him this year. Why should I attack him?"

Next to him Tracey was watching Crabbe and Goyle closely. Harry decided he would ask her what was wrong but not while the others were there.

"Do any of you have any idea who the culprit is then?" Goyle asked.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Malfoy growled. "Harry says it isn't him and I don't know of any other parselmouths at Hogwarts."

"Harry," Tracey said, "I just remembered I left a book in the library. I should get it before Madam Pince closes for the day. That's in about half an hour so I should get going. You stay here, Malfoy always says you should spend more time with the guys."

"Still taking orders from Davis are you, Potter?" Malfoy said as Tracey left the Common Room.

"I don't take orders from her, Malfoy," Harry replied. "And you are the one who's always saying I should spend more time with the guys." Crabbe and Goyle were both snickering. It even looked like they were blushing.

"What's wrong with you, Crabbe?" Malfoy asked. "Your face is becoming flushed."

Crabbe and Goyle turned to each other. Both suddenly looked alarmed.

"Gotta run. I feel sick," Crabbe said. He and Goyle both jumped to their feet and sprinted for the door out of the Common Room. Crabbe reached it first and shoved in open. He ran out and disappeared down the corridor, Goyle right behind them.

"What was that about?" Harry asked.

"No idea," Malfoy replied. "Maybe they had too much to eat?"

Tracey returned about 20 minutes later, bringing Crabbe and Goyle with her.

"You're back, are you," Malfoy said. "Where did you go in such a hurry?"

Crabbe and Goyle looked confused; nothing unusual there Harry thought.

"I thought you went to the library to retrieve a book, Tracey," Harry said.

"I got distracted. I found these two in a broom closet off the main entrance," Tracey explained. "Apparently they had a run in with some Gryffindors who thought it would be funny to lock them in the closet."

"Is that true?" Malfoy asked, looking angry.

Crabbe and Goyle nodded. "They tricked us," Goyle mumbled.

"That's not difficult," Malfoy said. "Next time you meet them beat them up, as long as there are no teachers around of course."

"Harry?" Tracey began. "Can we go somewhere for a private talk?"

Harry and Tracey went for a walk around the lake. It was cold but they were both warmly dressed. Once they were away from the castle Tracey began. "I didn't exactly tell the truth back in the Common Room. I did find Crabbe and Goyle locked in the closet but Hermione Granger used a sleeping potion to knock them out and then she, along with Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom, dragged them into the closet and took some hair from them to use in an illegally brewed Polyjuice potion. Crabbe was actually Ron and Goyle was actually Neville."

Harry looked at her, shocked. "How did they manage that without being found out?"

"They were using Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Nobody in their right mind ever goes in there."

"What were they hoping to achieve?" Harry asked.

"They were planning on infiltrating our Common Room. They believe you are that the heir of Slytherin and that you're the one attacking muggleborns. They hoped to trick either you, me or Draco into accidentally revealing the truth."

"I did admit I was the heir but I made it clear I'm not responsible for the attacks."

"That surprised them," Tracey explained. "Now they know they got themselves into a lot of trouble and gained nothing in return. I am going to enjoy the next few weeks. All I have to do is remind them of their debt to me for not handing them straight to Snape and they will do whatever I want."

"So you're blackmailing them. Is there something specific you want?"

"I'm still deciding exactly what I want, but it will be along the lines of information. You know Ron's brothers are the biggest pranksters here, right? I want to know the secret of their success but I haven't decided yet exactly what information I want."

"What was Granger's part in all of this?" Harry asked.

Tracey smiled evilly. "Let me tell you exactly what happened."

 **Flashback**

 _Tracey left the Common Room. The excuse about going to the library was just that, an excuse. There was something odd about the way Crabbe and Goyle were behaving. She wasn't sure if it was a curse, a potion or something else but she was determined to find out._

 _When she reached the deserted Entrance Hall she paused, deciding where to go. She could hear a banging coming from the broom closet by the Main Doors and was going to open it when she heard running footsteps coming from the corridor to the dungeons. Quickly, she ran up the main staircase into the castle proper. At the she top stopped and looked down to where she could see Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom wearing oversized Slytherin robes. They were placing shoes on the floor outside broom closet._

 _Tracey stepped back out of site. She waited until the two boys climbed the stairs and hurried down the corridor away from her. Tracey was going to follow them but they turned off into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom so she went to the door instead. Leaning against it she could faintly hear voices._

" _Hermione, we've got loads to tell you," Ron was saying. "Potter is the Heir of Slytherin but he says he's not the one attacking muggleborns. I think it might actually be Malfoy."_

 _Tracey burst into the room, wand pointed at the Gryffindors. "Care to explain what you were doing in the Slytherin Common Room just now?"_

 _Ron and Neville both looked startled at her arrival. Neville was still wearing Slytherin robes which tried unsuccessfully to hide from her._

" _Alright then," Tracey began. "Let me see, you brewed some illegal Polyjuice potion then knocked Crabbe and Goyle out and shoved them in the broom closet in the Entrance Hall after stealing their robes and shoes. Then you used the Polyjuice potion to impersonate them so you could infiltrate our Common Room. And I'm willing to bet you lot had something to do with that exploding cauldron in potions class a couple of weeks ago, too."_

" _Well… we didn't take their robes but… um, apart from that, yeah," Neville mumbled._

 _Tracey nodded. "Granger, I know you're in there, come out."_

" _No. Um, I'd rather not," Hermione said. She sounded terrified._

" _Fine," Tracey said. "Just FYI, Harry is the Heir of Slytherin but he is not responsible for those attacks on muggleborns. He, along with Theo, Daphne, Blaise and myself are attempting to identify the culprit so we can get them removed from the castle. Granger, I'm not going to speak to a door much longer. Remember all I have to do is go to Snape and all three of you would likely be expelled."_

 _A lock clicked and the cubicle door opened. Tracey couldn't believe her eyes. "Granger, what on earth happened to you?"_

" _It was cat hair,' Hermione said through sobs. "Millicent Bulstrode must have a cat and it was a hair from it that I used."_

" _Millicent does have a cat, its name is Pixie," Tracey said. "If you were planning on infiltrating our Common Room as her you were lucky. The Bulstrodes are in Italy at the moment and she couldn't have come back early even if she wanted to, and she wouldn't anyway."_

" _You call this lucky?" Hermione wailed._

" _If you had gone into our Common Room as Millicent everybody would have known you were an imposter. You would probably have been knocked out, stripped naked and thrown into the lake. Then you would have been taken to Snape's office."_

" _In that case, yeah, we were lucky," Ron said._

" _What are you going to do?" Hermione asked._

" _Firstly, you need to take Granger to the hospital wing. While you're doing that I'm going to free Crabbe and Goyle, then I'm going to decide what I want from you in exchange for not telling Snape about your exploit," Tracey said smiling evilly._

" _So you're going to blackmail us?" Hermione asked._

" _I suppose so, yes," Tracey replied._

 _Ron and Neville led Hermione to the door. As they were about to leave Moaning Myrtle poked her head through the door of another cubicle. "Oh, you're leaving," she said. "I was so enjoying it too. It's not every day I see someone with a tail."_

 **End flashback**

"That is so funny," Harry said, laughing. "Who would have thought Granger could make such an elementary mistake?"

"Remember, that is just between the two of us," Tracey said. "Nobody else is to know about it."

"Everybody will know Granger is in the hospital wing," Harry said. "I think we can keep the rest to ourselves, however."

With that, they headed back to the Common Room and re-joined their housemates.


	10. 10 The Diary of T M Riddle

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 10: The Diary of T M Riddle**

Tracey used the remainder of the holidays to decide exactly what she wanted from Ron, Neville and Hermione. Getting information from them about how Fred and George were so successful in their endeavours seemed like a good idea but that would really only apply to Ron. Asking Hermione or Neville to get information on Weasleys was hardly fair.

Ultimately she decided to deal with each separately. Neville was good at Herbology so that would be a start. Hermione was good at everything so there was an obvious and easy way to even that score while Ron could get what she really wanted. She decided that Ron would be the obvious one to start with.

"Hey, Weasley," she called to Ron when she found him with Hermione and Neville one day in early February they were returning from Hagrid's hut while she and Harry were heading out for a visit.

"What Davis?" Ron replied.

"Remember Christmas?" Ron nodded. Hermione and Neville both looked on nervously. Harry stood back to admire her work.

"Fred and George seem to know a lot about the castle. They seem to know their way around far better than would be reasonable for a student. What I would like from you is exactly how they gained this knowledge. I want a list of locations and passwords for secret doors or corridors and tunnels, including the kitchens."

"That will take ages," Ron complained. "Fred and George won't just give me that information simply because I asked for it."

"There's no hurry," Tracey continued. "As long as I get it by Easter you'll be in the clear and any information is better than no information. It shouldn't be too difficult to get at least some of what I'm asking for. If you put in a reasonable effort I'll be happy."

Ron shrugged. "Alright. I'll see what I can get. Let's go."

"Hermione, Neville," Tracey continued. "All I want from you is help improving my grades. Neville, you're good at Herbology so that's what I want from you and Hermione, I want help with Transfigurations, especially the practical side of the subject."

Both agreed but Ron complained, "Why have they got it so easy?"

Before Tracey could reply Harry interrupted, "Actually, Ron, Hermione hasn't got off that lightly; Transfigurations is Tracey's weakest subject. It will take some work for her to improve Tracey's marks."

Tracey looked angrily at Harry before marching off towards Hagrid's cabin. Harry hurried to catch up with her, leaving the Gryffindors looking bemused. When he caught up she turned to him. "Why did you say that in front of Gryffindors?"

"Well," Harry began, "it is true and I was making sure Ron didn't try and get away with a half-hearted effort. This way he knows he isn't being treated unfairly and will probably put in a little more effort."

"I wasn't going to let him off that easily," Tracey replied. "I still expect him to put in a reasonable effort and come up with something useful. I was going to say I was going easy on her because of the accident with the cat hair."

"Ok then. Please forgive me for speaking out of turn," Harry said by way of an apology.

It was as Harry and Tracey were returning to the castle from this visit they heard Filch shouting angrily from outside Myrtle's bathroom. They hurried up the stairs to the corridor and found the floor covered in water.

"Looks like Myrtles had another tantrum," Tracey commented. They could see the water still flowing from under the door to her bathroom. Tracey pushed the door open and a torrent of water greeted them. When it subsided slightly they found the floor was still covered in about an inch of water and that the taps were still turned on.

"Harry? Can you help me with the taps?" Tracey asked as she led Harry into the room.

As they went around turning off the taps Harry noticed one particular tap was not turned on. He made a mental note of it before joining Tracey who was trying to talk to Myrtle.

"Have you come to throw something else at me?" Myrtle wailed from her cubicle.

"We haven't thrown anything at you," Tracey replied, trying to soothe Myrtle. "Has somebody else thrown something at you?"

"I was just sitting here in my cubicle thinking about death when somebody thinks it's funny to come in here and start throwing things at me," Myrtle moaned as she emerged from her cubicle.

"What did they throw?" Tracey asked, trying to keep Myrtle talking.

"A book," she wailed. "It got washed out, it's over there." Myrtle pointed to a small, black book laying in the corner of the bathroom. Harry went to pick it up. He found it was a diary. The name on it was T. M. Riddle and it was clearly very old.

"Did you see who threw it?" Tracey asked.

"No!" Myrtle screeched. "I was in here minding my own business when…" Myrtle turned and dived back into the toilet, splashing more water over the already saturated floor.

'Well, we'd best be going," Tracey said, turning to Harry. "Now you know why nobody comes in here unless they have to. They left the bathroom.

"Potter, Miss Davis. What do you think you're doing?" Professor McGonagall demanded as they left.

"It's my fault, Professor," Tracey explained. "We heard Filch's shout and came to see what was wrong. Mr. Filch had left all the taps running so I asked Harry to help me turn them off."

Professor McGonagall looked sternly at Tracey. "Very well. As I'm sure you remember there have been a number of attacks, most of them in this area. You should have stayed away from here until the staff had investigated the matter, just in case there was something dangerous here. You may go."

Tracey and Harry hurried away from the bathroom. Fortunately McGonagall hadn't noticed the diary in Harry's hand or, if she had, she had assumed it was Harry's. Either way he now had possession of an unusual item that somebody else had tried to dispose of and now he was determined to find out what it was.

Once safely away Harry and Tracey looked through the diary. The date on it was 1943, exactly 50 years ago but it was completely blank. Whoever T. M. Riddle was he hadn't written anything in it; at least not in any easily recognisable way.

They remembered that Draco Malfoy had told them the Chamber of Secrets was last opened 50 years ago. This made them think the diary might have useful information on that incident so they redoubled their efforts to discover the diary's secret. They asked if anyone had heard the name T. M. Riddle before and were told his name was on an award for special services to the school and that he had once been head boy. Other than that they were unable to learn anything new or important about him.

Harry and Tracey tried everything they knew to try and discover the book's secret. They tried many different things but no matter what they did they came up with nothing. Despite that Harry decided to hold onto it, just in case.

The last attack had taken place before Christmas and, since then, everything had been quiet in the castle. Indeed it appeared as if Slytherin's monster had settled down for another 50 year sleep. Certainly that is what people were beginning to think as the level of nervous tension in the castle had considerably decreased. Not surprisingly Lockhart thought he was the one responsible for stopping the attacks.

"I must say the person responsible was very wise to stop when they did," Harry and his friends overheard Lockhart saying to the other teachers the day after he and Tracey had discovered the diary.

"What this school needs is a celebration to help raise moral amongst the she students," he continued.

Harry was immediately concerned about the implications of this and confided in the others that he was worried what Lockhart might do. They too were worried but decided there was nothing they could do to stop it.

The full implications of Lockhart's plan became clear to all on Valentine's Day. When Harry and his fellow Slytherins entered the Great Hall for breakfast they thought they had entered the wrong room. Everywhere they looked were the most garish pink hangings while at every table there were hundreds of pink, heart shaped pieces of paper. "Oh no, please tell me this isn't happening," Harry moaned as he looked around.

At the teacher's table Professor Lockhart, dressed in hideous, lurid pink robes, stood up. "Happy Valentine's Day,' he said loudly. "Firstly I would like to thank the 46 people who have already sent me Valentine's Day cards. As you can see ('All too well,' Harry muttered) I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise." Lockhart spread his arms as if encompassing the room, highlighting the decorations. "And it doesn't stop there."

Lockhart clapped his hands and a dozen surly looking dwarves wearing golden wings and carrying harps marched into the room.

"My friendly, card carrying cupids. Over the day they will be roving the castle delivering personal Valentine's Day messages to lucky students." ('The lucky ones would be those who didn't receive any,' Harry thought.) "And the fun doesn't stop there. I'm certain my collegues will enter into the spirit of things. Why don't you ask Professor Snape to whip up a love potion! ('Only if you have a death wish,' Harry thought) and, while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met." Looking at Flitwick, Harry got the impression the tiny Professor was looking for a hole to hide in.

"Daphne," Tracey said, "I hope you're not one of the 46."

The rest of the day was punctuated by dwarves barging into classrooms in the middle of lessons to deliver personalised Valentine's Day greetings. Harry extracted a promise from Tracey she wouldn't do that and she agreed on the condition Harry didn't get one for her. Unfortunately another student decided she would do one for Harry.

It happened as they were waiting outside the DADA classroom. One particularly surly looking dwarf came marching along just as a group of 1st years (including Ginny Weasley) were passing.

"Oy, you, 'arry Potter," it said. Harry looked at Tracey, who looked furious. He tried to run away but the dwarf caught up and knocked him down. "I've got a singing Valentine to deliver to 'arry Potter in person." The dwarf started playing his harp.

Harry tried to run away but the dwarf grabbed his bag which ripped, spilling its contents all over the floor and causing an ink bottle to smash over the lot. The dwarf pinned him down and began singing.

"His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,

His hair as dark as a blackboard,

I wish he was mine, he's really divine,

The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."

Harry did his best to hide his embarrassment while Percy Weasley, a Gryffindor 6th year prefect, tried to disperse the laughing crowd. Tracey helped Harry pick up his things while Malfoy gloated.

"Hey Potter I didn't know you kept a diary," Malfoy said loudly. He was holding T. M. Riddle's diary which Harry was still carrying around, trying to figure out how it worked.

Tracey lunged at Malfoy and grabbed the diary away from him. "Oh I see," Malfoy said. "Davis doesn't want us to find out her dirty little secrets."

Tracey kicked him in the shin. "It's none of your business, Malfoy. And I hope this singing Valentine wasn't your idea."

"Of course it wasn't," Malfoy said angrily, rubbing his shin. "It seems Potter didn't think your card was funny, Weasley."

Harry and Tracey followed his gaze and saw Ginny Weasley looking horrified. She turned and bolted away down the corridor.

"That's enough," Percy Weasley shouted. "Move along, all of you, move."

Harry entered the DADA classroom with an extremely angry Tracey right behind him. They both sat in their usual seats at the back where Tracey handed the diary back to him. A moment later Tracey said, "That little Weaselle is getting on my nerves, thinking she can steal you away from me with such a ridiculous poem. If I get my hands on her I'll teach her a thing or two."

Harry wasn't really listening to Tracey's rant. When she had handed him the diary he had looked closely at it and discovered that, unlike everything else in his bag, it didn't have a spot of ink on it. It seemed he had finally figured out something about his mysterious diary. Somehow, it had the ability to absorb any ink in came in contact with. All he had to do now was figure out how to get it to display everything written in it.


	11. 11 The Secret of the Diary

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 11: The Secret of the Diary**

That evening Harry and Tracey slipped away from the Common Room hidden under Harry's invisibility cloak and carrying the diary. They found a deserted classroom and locked the door behind them. That done they removed the cloak, lit a single candle and opened the diary.

"Any ideas on how to get the diary to reveal the information it must be hiding?" Harry asked.

"Nothing we haven't already tried," Tracey admitted.

"I wonder if it will respond if we write something ourselves?" Harry wondered out loud.

He took out his quill and ink and wrote 'Hello' on the first page. The word glowed faintly in the candlelight before disappearing from the page. A moment later the word reappeared, but in a different writing style. Tracey gasped while Harry stared in amazement.

Next Harry wrote, 'My name is Harry Potter.'

The words glowed once again then vanished. This time a new phrase replaced it. 'Hello Harry Potter, my name is Tom Riddle.'

Tracey grabbed the diary and wrote, 'My name is Tracey Davis.'

Her words were replaced by, 'Hello Tracey Davis. Are you and Harry Potter a couple?'

"This diary has its own consciousness," Tracey said. "Be careful, this could be very dangerous."

"How can a diary be dangerous?" Harry asked.

"People will put curses on anything they want to protect. If Tom Riddle wanted to hurt someone who found his diary there are many things that could happen. He might pretend to be a friend while leading you down a dangerous path to self-destruction."

"Ok then. Do you think we should answer the question?"

Tracey thought for a while. As she was doing this new words appeared in the diary. 'You don't have to answer if you don't want to, I am merely curious.'

Harry wrote, 'We're friends.'

'Friends are always good to have,' the diary wrote back.

"Do you think we should ask it if it knows anything about the chamber of secrets?" Harry asked.

"It should be safe enough," Tracey replied. "But if it starts asking more questions we should put it away and never use it again."

Harry wrote, 'Do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?'

'Yes,' the diary replied. 'In my time it was considered a legend. Nobody really believed it existed until someone opened it. It happened during my 5th year and several people were attacked. I was the one who caught the person responsible.'

Harry and Tracey stared at the writing. This was more than they could have hoped for.

'Can you tell us what happened?' Harry wrote.

'No, but I can show you.'

"Do you think we should trust it?" Harry asked.

"I think it should be alright. I think we should watch this together. Just remember to be very careful and don't take what you see as the literal truth."

'Let me show you,' the diary was now showing.

'Ok' Harry wrote. He and Tracey held hands.

The pages of the diary began to blow as if in a strong wind. Eventually they stopped on a day mid-way through June. A small window like square began glowing much like a miniature TV screen. Harry and Tracey bent forward as the screen began to get bigger. A moment later they both found themselves sucked into the screen.

Their feet hit something solid and they stood up, looking around them as the blurry shapes came into focus. They soon realised they were in an office, standing in front of a desk which was occupied by an elderly wizard they had never seen before.

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't…" Harry began but Tracey cut him off.

"Harry, don't bother. He doesn't know we're here," she explained. "All we can do is observe what happens. We can't interact with him or anyone else in any way. I think we're in Tom Riddle's memory."

Harry looked around the room. He soon realised it matched the brief description of Dumbledore's office that Pansy had given them several weeks ago, except that the man behind the desk wasn't Dumbledore. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," the old wizard said in a feeble voice.

A boy about 16 entered, removing his pointed hat. He wore a silver prefect's badge pinned to his tidy but obviously 2nd hand robes. He was tall with jet black hair similar to Harry's.

"Ah, Riddle," the man, obviously the Headmaster, said.

"You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet?" Riddle said, looking nervous.

"Sit down. I've just been reading the letter you sent me," Dippet said.

"Oh." Riddle sat, gripping his hands together tightly.

"I cannot possibly allow you to stay here over the summer holidays. Is there a reason you don't want to go home?"

"I live in a muggle orphanage, sir," Riddle explained. "I really don't want to go back there; I'd rather stay here."

"Are you muggleborn?"

"Half blood, sir. Muggle father; witch mother."

"And are both your parents -?"

"My mother died just after I was born, sir. She only lived long enough to name me Tom, for my father and Marvolo, for her father."

"The thing is, Tom, special arrangements might have been made for you, but in the current circumstances…"

"Do you mean the attacks, sir?" Riddle asked. Harry jumped slightly and glanced at Tracey. She seemed to be just as enthralled as he was.

"Precisely," Dippet said. "My dear boy, surely you see how foolish it would be for me to allow you to remain in the castle, especially after yesterday's tragic death of that poor little girl. Indeed, as we speak the Ministry is considering closing Hogwarts. We are no closer to locating the source of the, er, unpleasantness."

Riddle's eyes widened. "What if - the person was caught and it all stopped –"

"Do you know something about it?" Dippet asked urgently.

"No, sir," Riddle quickly replied. Harry was certain Riddle was not telling the truth.

"You may go, Tom," Dippet said, sounding disappointed.

Harry and Tracey followed Riddle as he left the office. He appeared to be deep in thought. Abruptly Riddle seemed to come to a decision. He set off through a series of corridors, stopping only once when a teacher called to him. "What are you doing, wandering around this late, Tom?" Harry was surprised when he realised the man was Albus Dumbledore.

"I had to see the Headmaster, sir," Riddle replied.

"Well, hurry off to bed," Dumbledore said. He appeared to be studying Riddle intently, as if trying to see into his soul. "One shouldn't be roaming the halls this late at night, especially since…"

With a sigh Dumbledore bade Riddle farewell. Harry and Tracey continued to follow Riddle into the dungeons, past Snape's office and classroom and into a tiny broom closet near the end of the corridor. Another door, probably leading into a storeroom, stood nearby.

They waited for quite some time before they heard someone creeping along the corridor and opening the other door. Next they heard a voice, "C'mon, gotta get yeh outa here. C'mon into the box." the voice sounded familiar.

Riddle burst out of the closet, pointing his wand at a huge boy holding a very large box.

"Evening, Rubeus," Riddle said.

The boy slammed the lid down on the box and stood up. It was clearly Hagrid.

"What are yeh doin' here, Tom?"

"It's all over, Rubeus. I'm going to have to turn you in. Even now they are talking about closing the school," Riddle said, stepping closer.

"What do yeh mean?"

"I don't think you meant it to kill anyone, but monsters don't make good pets."

"He never killed no one." Harry could hear a strange clicking sound coming from the box.

"Come on, Rubeus, the dead girls parents will be here tomorrow. The least Hogwarts can do is ensure the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered…"

"It wasn't him," Hagrid shouted. The corridor rang with echoes of his voice.

"Stand aside," shouted Riddle.

A blinding flash filled the corridor. The box flew out of Hagrid's hands, the lid coming off as it landed. A huge, hairy, black body dropped to the floor and scuttled off, running on eight enormous, hairy legs. Harry gasped in shock as Tracey screamed next to him. Hagrid lunged at Riddle, knocking his wand away before he could cast another spell, allowing the giant spider to escape.

A few moments later Harry and Tracey found themselves back in the classroom. Both were breathing heavily. They looked at each other in shock.

"Hagrid opened the chamber of secrets?" Harry said.

"That can't be right," Tracey replied, shaking her head. "Slytherin's monster can't be an Acromantula."

"A what?"

"That's the common name given to giant spiders. Salazar Slytherin was known for his rare ability of being able to talk to snakes whereas Acromantulas are capable of learning human speech. Anyone can talk to them, assuming, of course, the Acromantulas aren't trying to eat you. That's another reason Hagrid can't be responsible for opening the chamber; they only kill to eat, or to provide a food source for their young in which case there would have been spider eggs nearby," Tracey explained.

So you are convinced Hagrid isn't to blame?"

Tracey nodded. "I am, yes."

"Riddle seemed certain it was Hagrid, and it's obvious he was trying to raise a monster. Do you think it is possible Hagrid was set up?" Harry asked.

Tracey nodded. "It's a possibility. Who stood to gain the most from Hagrid being expelled, though?"

Harry couldn't think of an answer to that one. He thought about it for a while as he and Tracey returned to the Common Room.

"What if we look at it in another way," Harry began. "Who stood to gain the most if Hagrid was caught and falsely accused of being the Heir of Slytherin?"

"The real Heir, obviously," Tracey replied.

"We know from that memory Tom Riddle had a lot to gain through the Heir being caught," Harry said. "They were going to close Hogwarts unless the mystery was solved, and Riddle would have been forced to return to a muggle orphanage. From his perspective catching the Heir was important to his future. Do you think he was the one to frame Hagrid?"

"Possibly. Harry, are you implying that Tom Riddle may be the Heir of Slytherin?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. If you look at it from that perspective, everything seems to fit together much better than from any other point of view."

"That means it is likely that this diary is the means by which Slytherin's monster is being controlled," Tracey stated, sounding shocked and even a little frightened.

Harry felt the same way. "We were lucky we found this diary together, and that we have only ever looked into it together. If one of us had been alone it may have tried to possess us. Thank you for that warning to be careful."

"I think you should keep the diary, Harry. You are the Heir of Slytherin so you can control Slytherin's monster and, while you have the diary, it cannot be used by anyone else; nor can it use anyone else."

Harry agreed. "Let's go to bed. It's long after midnight and I am feeling tried. In the morning we can get together and see what else we can determine about this mystery."

Harry and Tracey said goodnight. Harry changed as quietly as he could and climbed into bed. Despite being tired he had trouble getting to sleep. The events of the previous few hours weighed heavily on his mind. Although they had partly solved the mystery of the chamber there was still a long way to go.

And there were other mysteries as well. Why were the spiders behaving the way they were? What could be causing them to seemingly flee in large numbers? What creature could petrify people and how could it move around unnoticed? Whatever it was must be either very small, able to make itself invisible except when it attacked or be able to move through solid walls. There were so many unanswered questions. Obviously they needed to do more research if they were to solve this mystery.


	12. 12 Quidditch, Kitchen and New Subjects

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 12: Quidditch, Kitchens and New Subject Selection**

Harry's plan to spend more time on solving the mystery were disrupted almost immediately. The next morning Marcus Flint cornered him and said they were stepping up training for the Quidditch match against Gryffindor which was only a couple of weeks away. They knew that if they were to have any chance of taking out the Quidditch cup they would need to win this match.

The weekend before the match Ravenclaw beat Hufflepuff by 180 - 90. This meant that if Slytherin beat Gryffindor all houses would have had one win and one loss and all teams would still be in the running. A Gryffindor win, however, would mean they would be odds on take the title.

Because of this Slytherins were now training five times a week which left Harry with only enough time for his homework. There wouldn't be time for extra research until after the match.

The morning of the match against Gryffindor dawned cold and calm. A thin mist hung over the grounds as the Slytherin team finished breakfast before heading down to the pitch. As they left the Great Hall their own housemates cheered them but boos and hisses could be heard from the other tables.

The team changed into their Quidditch robes and walked out onto the pitch where they met Madam Hooch. A moment later they were joined by the Gryffindor team. Harry recognised six of the players but the seventh, a tall, solidly built boy was unfamiliar to him. When Lee Jordan, the commentator, introduced the players he said gave the new boy's name as McLaggen.

Once airborne Harry set off looking for the snitch with McLaggen closely tailing him. Harry put on a burst of speed, racing to the other end of the pitch before shooting up high into the sky. McLaggen tried to follow but was unable to match Harry's speed and agility.

Below him the match was turning into a typical Gryffindor v. Slytherin match with plenty of penalties and a lot of dirty play. Both teams played aggressively and several times the match was stopped to allow injured players to be tended to. Both captains, Flint for Slytherin and Wood for Gryffindor, required treatment but both insisted they could continue.

After nearly 50 minutes, and with scores tied at 80 each, Harry finally caught sight of the snitch. He turned toward it but kept his speed low until he was nearly level with McLaggen. He then put on a quick burst to pass him and then dived for the snitch, catching it just above the ground and giving Slytherin a 230 - 80 win.

That evening there was a party in the Slytherin Common Room. Everybody was happy and they enjoyed the celebration well into the evening. Even Malfoy seemed to have forgiven Harry for taking his position on the team.

"Good catch, Potter," he said as they at together. "You do realise that you will need to do that in every match from now on, of course. One slip up and I'll be taking that position off you again."

"I don t doubt you will," Harry replied. "Competition always brings out the best in me, though, so I look forward to it."

Next day, a Sunday, Harry was in the library finishing off his homework. As usual Tracey sat with him while Daphne, Theo and Blaise had joined them as well. While they were finishing up Harry noticed Ron Weasley sitting nearby with Neville Longbottom. The Gryffindors seemed to be watching them. Harry guessed they wanted to speak to Tracey and him but were unwilling to approach a table full of Slytherins. Harry excused himself and approached their table.

"Weasley, Longbottom. I take it you want to speak to Tracey?" he asked.

"If we can," Weasley replied. "Preferably alone, though."

"I'll be back soon," Harry said before returning to the Slytherin table.

"Tracey? Can I speak to you alone for a minute?" Harry asked when he returned.

Tracey stood up and Harry pointed at Weasley and Longbottom. Tracey got the message and moved to the other table. Harry joined her.

"You said you wanted to know how to get into the kitchens," Weasley said as they sat down.

"That was part of it," Tracey said, "but I also want to know how your brothers are able to get away with so many pranks. They must know about some secret tunnels or other shortcuts. Still, I'll accept any information you give me now."

Weasley glared at her before saying, "Go down the hallway toward the Hufflepuff Common Room. On the wall are several food related pictures. One shows a bowl of fruit. If you tickle the pineapple it will turn into a handle which will allow to get into the kitchens."

"Thank you for that. Neville, I really appreciate your help with Herbology and could you please tell Hermione I appreciate her help, too."

"Sure," Neville said. "When will you consider we are all square?"

"After the exams in June," she replied. "The same applies to Hermione and you, Ron, will be in the clear when you bring me that information about secret tunnels and shortcuts."

When Harry and Tracey returned to their own table Daphne asked, "What were you talking to those Gryffindors about?"

"Nothing important," Tracey replied. "We were just trying to be friendly with them."

"Why bother?" Theo asked. "They're only Gryffindors after all."

"We are trying to improve inter-house relations. That's all," Tracey said before returning to her homework.

Early the following week Professor Snape told the students he would soon be speaking to each 2nd year individually about their career plans when they left Hogwarts. They would be advised of their appointment times by a note on the Common Room notice board within the next few days.

Starting in 3rd year all students were required to choose a minimum of two new subjects out of a pool of five subjects that were taught to older students. Draco in particular told Harry to be very careful with what he chose.

"No Slytherin in their right mind takes Muggle Studies," Draco began as he threw the brochure for that subject into the fire. "And divination is for losers so that's not really an option either, unless you're Crabbe or Goyle." Several older snickered quietly as Crabbe and Goyle looked around, confused.

"I think that's a bit harsh, Malfoy," Blaise said. "Some of us might want to take it. It's supposed to be an easy subject."

"Which is why I said it's for losers. Anyway, either you are a seer or you aren't. You can't learn to see the future just by going to some class."

"That's true," Pansy put in. "Generally seers inherit their talent from a family member so, unless there is a seer in your family, Divination is a waste of time."

"All that means is there are realistically only three subjects to choose from," Draco said. "Care of Magical Creatures is pretty straightforward so that's always a good option, especially if you want to get out of the castle. Arithmancy is similar in some respects to Divination, although it is a requirement for some career options such as banking. The most useful, and most complicated, subject is Ancient Runes. It's like studying a new type of magic and a new language at the same time. It comes in useful when warding a place or building magical constructions." Harry listened intently to what the others were saying. Having been raised by muggles he really had no idea of what he should do upon graduation.

Harry's appointment time came and he made his way to Snape's office, knocking on the door and waiting until Snape invited him in.

"Sit down, Potter," Snape said without looking up.

"Good afternoon, sir," Harry said as he waited.

"Have you any idea what you want to do when you finish your education?" Snape asked.

"No, sir. I was raised by muggles and really have no idea what career I would like."

"I am aware of your family situation. Have you not asked your friends what your options are?"

"Yes sir. They told me about some of the different options and I have read the pamphlets about the extra subjects. I was hoping you might be able to help me."

Snape looked closely at Harry, who got the impression Snape was trying to read his thoughts. "If you have no idea what to do then I can hardly point you in the right direction. I would suggest you take whatever subjects you feel comfortable with and in three years time, when you have your career interview, you decide where your interests lay."

"Wouldn't be better to find out now what subjects suit which career?" Harry asked.

"Why don't you ask your friends that? I know Miss Davis' brother is choosing his career path at the moment; perhaps you should talk to him?"

"Yes sir; I'll do that."

"You may go," Snape finished, immediately turning back to the scrolls on his desk.

Harry left the office feeling disappointed. His conversation with Snape hadn't helped him in the slightest with choosing his subjects for next year. He returned to the Common Room where Theo caught up with him.

"How did it go?" Theo asked.

"It seemed rather pointless," Harry said. "I was hoping to get some advice but all he said was to talk to Robert Davis or to ask my friends their opinions."

Theo snorted. "Complete waste of time, then. He told me much the same thing, too. I don't think Snape really has much interest in offering career advice."

Beverly Runcorn passed them on her way to Snape's office for her appointment. "You expected Snape to help you?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, I did," Harry said.

"Dream on, Potter," she said as she left.

Harry decided he would talk to Robert. He recommended taking Ancient Runes because it was a very useful subject that gave the most options for the future. He also recommended Harry take whatever subject he felt most comfortable with as his second option.

Harry also decided to talk to Marcus Flint who suggested he might consider a career as a professional Quidditch player. "I'm in talks with the Tutshill Tornadoes about becoming a chaser for their reserve team. They watched our match against Gryffindor and were quite impressed," Flint said.

Ultimately Harry chose Arithmancy and Ancient Runes for his new subjects. Arithmancy could lead to a career in banking while ancient Runes offered the largest number of potential career choices. Coincidentally, Tracey and Daphne chose the same subjects.

(The students in Harry's year chose the following; Theodore Nott chose all three:

Ancient Runes: Davis, Greengrass, Malfoy, Nott, Potter, Runcorn, Zabini

Arithmancy: Bulstrode, Crabbe, Davis, Goyle, Greengrass, Nott, Parkinson, Potter

Care of Magical Creatures: Bulstrode, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, Nott, Parkinson, Runcorn, Zabini)

With that sorted and no Quidditch training until after Easter Harry was able to put more effort into trying to solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets. Several theories were competing in his mind for the most likely cause of the problem but none of them seemed to fit the evidence.

Why were the spiders behaving the way they were? What could be causing them to seemingly flee in large numbers? Could it be that this event was somehow related to the Chamber? What creature could petrify people and how could it move around unnoticed?

Harry wondered if they should approach Hagrid. The diary certainly pointed to him being the culprit but it was obvious he wasn't. If he was he would not have been allowed to remain at Hogwarts. Indeed, it was more likely he would have been sent to prison for murder. He agreed entirely with Tracey's assessment had Hagrid had been framed but he wondered if Hagrid would be willing to talk about it.

Instead he decided to look at it from a different angle. Were there any common features that all the attacks had? Had they occurred at the same time of the day, or on the same day of the week? He thought about the locations where the attacks had taken place and suddenly realised they did have at least one thing in common; they had all taken place near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.  
But why had all the attacks taken place near Myrtle's bathroom? Harry wondered how Myrtle had died, and when.

It was that last thought had suddenly made him realise there must be a connection. As soon as possible he was going to need to speak to Myrtle. He suddenly had a feeling that she might hold at least some of the answers to his many questions.


	13. 13 Mysteries to be Solved

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 13: Mysteries to be Solved**

Early the next morning Harry called Tracey aside and told her of his theory. She seemed fascinated by his idea and admitted that it did make sense.

"Let's look into this tonight, after classes," Tracey said. "If you are right then we will need to get further help. We'll have to talk to Snape and see if we can get a meeting with Dumbledore."

While they were having breakfast an owl stopped in front of Tracey. It carried a note written in very tidy writing which Tracey read before handing to Harry.

The note read: 'Ron Weasley claims that you have something that belongs to his sister. Ginny is very upset about something and, in order to keep the peace, I have offered to act as a go-between to try and resolve this matter. Meet me in the library at lunchtime. Hermione.'

"What could Ginny possibly think we have that belongs to her?" Harry asked. Tracey was just as confused as he was but decided they should go. At least this way they could sort out the issue once and for all.

When they arrived in the library they found Hermione already there. They sat opposite her at the table.

"Hermione?" Tracey began. "Could you please tell us what we have that Ginny thinks is hers?"

"It's Ginny's diary. She saw you with it on Valentine's Day when that pesky dwarf came barging up and knocked Harry down," Hermione explained.

Harry opened his bag and pulled out the diary. "Is this what she is talking about?"

Hermione snatched it out of Harry's hand. "This is it. She described it as an old, tattered diary with nothing written in it, exactly like this one."

"Read the inside of the front cover," Harry said. Tracey looked on.

Hermione opened the book and saw the name T. M. Riddle written there. Her eyes widened in surprise. "So this diary actually belongs to someone else anyway?"

"Yes. And that's not all," Harry said. He took the diary back and wrote: 'Hello, Tom, it's Harry again.'

The words glowed briefly before disappearing. A moment later they were replaced. 'Welcome back Harry. Have you had time to think about what I showed you and Tracey?'

Hermione was in shock. "But, how is that possible?"

"This diary is a very dangerous magical artifact," Tracey explained. "We think it has the ability to possess people. We were going to speak to Moaning Myrtle this evening and, depending on what she told us, we were going to try and speak to the Headmaster."

Meanwhile Harry wrote in the diary, 'We are still considering the information you gave us. As yet we haven't decided how much it is worth. We will get back to you later.'

Hermione was still in shock. "How could something like that get into the school?"

"We're assuming Ginny brought it in at the start of the year," Tracey said. "You can now see why we cannot let Ginny, or any other student for that matter, take possession of this diary. You will need to tell Ron something, though. I'm sure you're smart enough to come up with some explanation."

"All right. Can I ask you why you want to talk to Myrtle?"

"It's just a suspicion we have about this diary and the Chamber of secrets. They may have nothing in common but we just want to make sure," Tracey said.

After class that evening Harry and Tracey left the Common Room saying they were going to the library. Theo wanted to come so, after they were safely away, they explained the other reason for their trip.

"We think we may have come across a clue to the Chamber of Secrets," Harry explained.

"Something we found recently has led us to believe that Myrtle may have been the student who died last time the Chamber was opened. We were going to talk to her and then decide what we should do next," Tracey continued.

Theo agreed to wait outside the bathroom and to alert them if anyone came along.

Inside the bathroom Tracey called, "Myrtle, are you here?"

"Hello, what do you want now?" Myrtle wailed.

"Myrtle, we would like to ask you a few questions, if you don t mind."

"I suppose so."

"Myrtle, we would like to ask you; how did you die?"

Instantly Myrtle's expression changed to a look of delight. "Oh! Well, in that case." Myrtle took a deep breath. "It was right here in this very cubicle. I had come in here because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. Anyway, here I was hiding away when someone came in here and started speaking some strange, made up sounding language, and it was a boy who was speaking so I opened my door to tell him to go away and use his own bathroom. And then: I died."

"Did you see anything?" Tracey asked.

"Just this pair of huge, yellow eyes staring at me from right in front of that sink." She pointed to a sink on the opposite side of the room. Harry approached it.

"This is the sink where I found that tap that wasn't working when Myrtle flooded the bathroom, it was the same day we found the diary," he explained.

"Myrtle," Tracey began. "The day someone threw that diary at you; did you see who did it?"

"No I didn't, Myrtle said, angrily.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Tracey?" Harry said. "Look at this." Tracey and Myrtle moved to join him at sink. He then showed her what he had found. "Look at this symbol on the pipe. It looks exactly like a snake. I think this is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets."

"So, we know where the Chamber is and that the monster has large, yellow eyes. We also know who was controlling it and how, although it's more likely the person, Ginny Weasley, was being possessed," Tracey summarised.

"The only thing left for us to do is identify the monster and determine how to stop it," Harry added. "Do we tell Snape now or complete our research first?"

"We must show this diary to someone, although I don't think Snape is the right person," Tracey said.

"Why not?"

"The person we need to speak to is Dumbledore. With the evidence we have we should be able to get Hagrid is exonerated. He is as much a victim here as Myrtle. Myrtle's life was ended but Hagrid's was ruined. They both deserve justice," Tracey told him. Harry agreed.

They left the bathroom and told Theo what they had discovered. At his suggestion they headed to the library to look for more books on the Chamber, as well as doing their homework.

Tracey asked Madam Pince if they had any books on magical snakes, using the excuse they were researching antidotes to snake venom. Madam Pince peered at Tracey carefully before directing her to a book shelf that contained the desired information. Tracey brought back a pile of books and they began reading them.

It took nearly an hour but finally Harry found what they were looking for. "Theo, Tracey," he said quietly. "Look at this." Harry showed them an entry under the title of Basilisk.

'The Basilisk, also known as the King of Serpents, is an extremely dangerous creature. The earliest known example was bred by Herpo the Foul, a Greek dark wizard and parselmouth, who discovered that a chicken's egg hatched under a toad produced a gigantic serpent possessed of extraordinarily dangerous powers.

'Basilisks are generally green and can grow up to 50 feet long. They have been known to live for hundreds, even a thousand years. The Basilisk has extremely poisonous fangs but its most dangerous means of attack is the gaze of its yellow eyes. Anyone looking directly into these will suffer instant death.

'Spiders flee from the Basilisk and the most effective way to kill them is the crowing of a rooster.'

"So Slytherin's monster is a Basilisk?" Theo asked. Harry nodded.

"But how could a snake that big travel around the castle unnoticed?" Tracey asked.

"It hasn't been," Harry replied. "Myrtle was killed in the bathroom where the entrance to the chamber is and most of the other attacks occurred near there. The Basilisk stays in the pipes until it is summoned and then it comes out through that entrance. I have been hearing echoes of it around the castle coming from inside the pipes in the walls. A rooster's crowing will kill it, so now we know why Hagrid's roosters were killed."

"Hold on, Harry," Theo said. "This says Basilisks kill when people look into their eyes. Nobody's died yet but several people have been petrified."

"My best guess there is those people only saw the reflection, or were screened from it by something else. That Gryffindor 1st year was found with a camera so the film must have acted as a shield. Justin Finch-Fletchly saw it through Nearly Headless Nick. Nick was already dead so he was only turned into a shadow but his presence must have shielded Justin from the full force. We know there was water on the floor when Mrs. Norris was petrified. She must have seen the reflection and I would assume the same thing happened with that Ravenclaw boy."

Theo nodded. "That does make sense. Your explanation also accounts for the strange behaviour of spiders and the killing of Hagrid's roosters."

"Clearly we need to go to Snape, and through him Dumbledore, with this information," Tracey said. "We should go now. The sooner we tell someone the better." Everyone agreed so they set off for Snape's office.

Tracey knocked on the door. "Enter," came Snape's voice.

"Professor Snape, we think we may have some information about the Chamber of Secrets," Tracey said when they entered.

Snape's dark eyes bored into them. Harry got the impression Snape was trying to read their minds.

"Very well," Snape said. "What information do you think you have?"

"We think we've found the entrance to the Chamber, and we're certain we know what is inside," Tracey explained.

"The creature is a Basilisk," Harry said. "I've been hearing its voice from inside the walls, echoing along the pipes."

At the mention of a Basilisk Snape began paying close attention to what they were saying. When they finished their explanation Snape got up and walked to his fireplace. He took a pinch of a glittering powder (floo powder, Harry remembered) and threw it into the flames. "Headmaster, may I speak to you about an urgent matter," he said.

Moments later the flames flared larger and a tall figure appeared, spinning in the flames. Professor Dumbledore stepped out, brushing down his robes as he approached. "How may I help you, Severus?"

Snape indicated Harry, Tracey and Theo. "These three may have solved the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets. I am quite certain they have more information than what they have told me so far, and I felt it appropriate that you be present to hear their full story."

Dumbledore turned to the students. "Please, continue with your explanation."

Theo and Tracey turned to Harry who took a deep breath. He explained how he had been hearing a voice coming seemingly from inside the walls that no-one else could hear. He explained how it had taken him several months to realise what it was but once he had done so many other things fell into place. He said they realised Slytherin's monster was probably a snake and had set about finding a snake that could petrify people.

They eventually realised it must be a Basilisk and that the reason nobody had died this time was because nobody had looked it directly in the eyes. Harry explained how they realised the Basilisk's victim last time must have been Myrtle and it was from her information that they located what they believe is the entrance to the Chamber in her bathroom.

Tracey then produced the diary and said they believed the diary had the ability to possess people and that was how the Basilisk was being controlled.

When they finished Dumbledore took the diary and performed some diagnostic magic on it. "It appears your students are correct Severus," Dumbledore said. "I must ask you; do you know who brought this diary into the school?"

Harry and Tracey looked at each other. "Tell them," Tracey said quietly.

Harry turned to Dumbledore. "We think it was Ginny Weasley, sir."


	14. 14 To Kill a Basilisk

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 14: To Kill a Basilisk

They returned to the Common Room after telling Dumbledore and Snape they were fairly certain Ginny didn't know what she was doing when she brought the diary to Hogwarts. Snape said that Ginny should be expelled on the spot but Dumbledore overruled him saying that based on what Harry and Tracey had said it was likely she had been possessed by the diary. Instead of expelling her Dumbledore was going to bring Professor McGonagall into the discussion. He said Harry and Tracey would be invited to attend a meeting once all relevant parties were up to speed. In the meantime Dumbledore was going to hold onto the diary.

The Easter holidays were busy as the students had been given a large amount of homework to complete. Many students complained loudly about this but Harry simply settled in to do the work. With subject selection out of the way and homework finished Harry was able to relax although he hadn't forgotten about the Chamber. Most other students, however, seemed to think the danger had passed since it had been many months since the last attack. Draco in particular was disappointed by this.

"I wish whoever was controlling Slytherin's monster would hurry up and get back to work," he said on the morning of the first day of the third term.

"I don't think the monster will be harming anyone else," Harry said.

"What makes you think that?"

"I have taken control of the monster. It answers only to me now and I don't want it to hurt anyone. In case you have forgotten Hogwarts was on the verge of being closed. If that had happened I would have been forced to go back to the Dursley's. Your mother knows how much I dislike that idea."

"Does that mean you know where the chamber is?" Daphne asked.

"Yes," Harry replied. "I know what is in it too. Slytherin's monster is a Basilisk."

This caused many students to gasp in shock. "That can't be right," Draco said in a disbelieving voice. "Basilisks kill by looking at people but no-one's died. How can a Basilisk petrify people?"

"Basilisks kill by looking people directly in the eye; if you only see their reflection or if you see it through something else then the only effect is petrification," Harry explained.

"I wonder what would happen if a Basilisk saw its own reflection?" Daphne asked.

"No idea," Harry admitted. "I never thought about that possibility."

"So what are your plans for the Basilisk?" Draco asked.

"I am going to stop it one way or another. Hopefully I can talk to it and convince it to stop harming people but, if that fails, I may have to kill it," Harry replied.

"How are you going to kill a Basilisk?" Blaise asked before Draco could speak.

"In the book we found the Basilisk in it said the best way to kill a Basilisk was by exposing it to the crowing of a rooster. Remember how Hagrid's roosters were being killed off at the start of the year? Well, that was one of the clues that told us it was a Basilisk. Whoever was controlling it at that time was killing the roosters to protect the Basilisk. All I need do for now is wait until Hagrid gets another rooster then I can end the matter once and for all."

Draco glared angrily at Harry. "Why kill it? The Basilisk is no threat to anyone from a wizarding family. In case you haven't noticed it's only mud-bloods who've been attacked so far."

"Mr. Malfoy, I recommend you do not use that language where there are teachers present," Professor Snape said from right behind them. All the students turned to face him.

"Professor, I was not aware..." Draco began but Snape cut him off.

"That is obvious. Mr. Potter, the Headmaster would like to see you after class this evening; you too Miss. Davis. Come to my office at 6-30 and I will escort you to his office." Snape marched past them and into the Entrance Hall. Harry and the other students followed.

At 6-30 that evening Harry and Tracey arrived outside Snape's office. When they knocked Snape came to the door. "Follow me," was all he said.

They followed Snape to the Entrance Hall and up the marble staircase and then along a corridor that led away from most of the classrooms, finally stopping when they reached a large and extremely ugly stone Gargoyle. "Sherbet Lemon," Snape said and the gargoyle sprung aside. Behind it was a spiralling staircase that ascended up a tower, rotating at a steady rate. Snape stepped onto it and the students followed.

At the top there was a large oak door with a brass knocker shaped like a griffin. Snape knocked twice and the door opened by itself. Inside was the same large circular room that Harry had seen in Riddle's memory. Professor Dumbledore sat behind the desk while Professor McGonagall sat in a chair in front of it. McGonagall looked intently at Harry and Tracey when they entered the room.

"Please sit down," Dumbledore said pleasantly, indicating three empty chairs near where McGonagall was. Snape took the chair closest to her while Harry took the next one and Tracey sat in the last chair.

"Harry, Tracey, the two of you have my deepest gratitude for solving the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets," Dumbledore said once all were seated. "I do have one further request to make of you, however. It seems that only a parselmouth is able to open the entrance to the Chamber from Myrtle's bathroom therefore, in order to kill it, I must ask you, Harry, to open the Chamber for me. Undoubtedly too, there are other traps and enchantments that prevent any normal person from entering the Chamber. I would, therefore, like to ask you to accompany me into the Chamber. I will carry the rooster that Hagrid has acquired and will do any fighting that is necessary in there. Are you agreeable to these terms?"

"It sounds like a good plan," Harry replied. "How soon will we able to do it?"

"Headmaster," Snape interrupted. "I do not think it wise for only you and Potter to enter the Chamber. What if something goes wrong? I believe I should accompany you as well, and we should call in some aurors too."

"I appreciate your concern, Severus, but I would like to keep the number of people entering the chamber to a minimum," Dumbledore explained. "If you wish you may join us but I do not think it necessary to bring others in. I believe that if too many of us entered the chamber the Basilisk may realise it is a trap and attack immediately."

"I would feel happier if Professor Snape came with us," Harry said.

"I agree," Tracey added. "If something does go wrong I want everybody to be as safe as possible, especially you, Harry."

"I see I am going to be outvoted in this matter," Dumbledore said. "The only thing left to decide is when the three of us make the attempt."

"It should be as soon as possible," Harry said. "Once this is finished I can concentrate on Quidditch and my exams."

"Shall we set the date for next Saturday at 11-30pm?" Dumbledore suggested.

"Agreed," Snape said. "Potter, I shall collect you from the Common Room at 10pm. We will stay in my office until after 11pm at which time we shall join the Headmaster. By that time all students should be in bed. As far as your fellow students are concerned, Potter, you have volunteered to assist me with a new potion I am developing. Your recent potions marks have been somewhat better than they were last year so it is a believable explanation. Miss Davis, you may also come but you will remain in my office the whole time. Do not tell your housemates what is coming up. They shall find out when the time is right."

"What will happen with regards to Ginny Weasley?" Tracey asked.

"I have taken care of that," Professor McGonagall said. "She is receiving appropriate support. You need not concern yourself."

"Sir," Harry began, "what is an auror?"

"An auror is a dark wizard catcher," Dumbledore explained. "They are like the muggle world's military and police force combined together. I believe the French Gendarmes are a good comparison."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, sir."

{}{}{}

Saturday rolled around and, just before 10pm, Professor Snape entered the Common Room. This startled many students who were not used to their Head of House putting in an appearance except in unusual circumstances. Snape quickly explained that he wanted his two best potions students to assist him with a new potion he was working on. Snape said it was a reward for the very noticeable improvement they had made over the year.

At 11-15 Snape and Harry left the office and walked to the corridor outside Myrtle's bathroom. Professor Dumbledore joined them soon after carrying an immobilised rooster and three brooms. They proceeded into the bathroom where they were greeted by Myrtle.

"Headmaster, you're back," Myrtle said when they entered.

"Good evening, Myrtle. I hope you are happy today," Dumbledore said.

"What do I have to be happy about?" moaned Myrtle.

"We are here to defeat the creature that killed you some 50 years ago," Dumbledore explained.

Myrtle blinked. "You are?"

"Harry, if you please." Harry walked to the sink. **'Open'** , he said in parselmouth.

The sink glowed and began spinning. It retracted back into the wall to reveal the mouth of a tunnel that descended out of sight. Next Harry asked for a stairway which brought no response and then a ladder which resulted in a golden ladder appearing from the ceiling and which trailed off into the tunnel.

"Very good, Harry," Dumbledore said. "It seems we will not need brooms after all."

Carefully they climbed down the ladder. At the bottom was a circular chamber with a long, dark tunnel running off into the distance. They proceeded along the tunnel until Harry, who was leading, called, "Stop. There s something up ahead."

Dumbledore carefully advanced past Harry before calling back, "It appears to be a discarded snake skin. Very large, too."

Harry and Snape advanced and examined the skin. It was a dull green colour and measured more than 20 feet. Snape studied it and said, "It is very old; at least 50 years judging by the deterioration and dryness of the scales."

They continued past the skin to a large door with serpents around its rim. "Is everybody ready?" asked Dumbledore.

Snape nodded and Harry stepped up. **"Open,"** he said.

The door swung open silently. Harry entered first and the teachers followed him. Inside, Harry began speaking in Parseltongue, **"I am the rightful Heir of Salazar Slytherin. Come to me, my servant**."

"What are you saying?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"I am summoning the Basilisk. Make sure your eyes are well covered," Harry replied in English.

A loud grating sound could be heard from the far end of the Chamber. Harry walked forward carefully, keeping his eyes down as Dumbledore placed the rooster on the floor.

 **"I am the servant of the great Salazar Slytherin. Prove you are his rightful Heir or I shall kill you,"** came a loud, hissing voice from some way in front of Harry.

 **"Is my speaking your language not enough proof?"** Harry asked.

 **"I need to know you are truthful. You are not the first to command me recently."**

 **"The one who commanded you earlier this year is a pretender to the crown. I must ask you a question. What is your purpose?"**

 **"My purpose is to rid this school of the unworthy."**

 **"You mean muggleborns, correct?"**

 **"Of course. Only those of wizarding blood are entitled to learn within this school. Now you must prove you are the rightful Heir. You have two people with you. Why are they here?"**

Harry turned to the teachers. "Kill it quickly, before it attacks us."

Dumbledore released the rooster from its immobility. Immediately it started crowing loudly. A hideous scream filled the chamber. Harry could hear the Basilisk's voice screaming in agony. Then it went quiet. A moment later the Chamber reverberated with a thunderous crash that shook the floor. Then silence.

"I think it is safe now," Dumbledore said. "Once it is dead a Basilisk can no longer kill by looking someone in the eye."

"The Basilisk knew you were with me but it didn't know about the rooster," Harry said.

"I had disguised the rooster's smell," explained Dumbledore. "I knew there was a possibility something like that may happen so I took certain precautions before we entered here."

"Headmaster," Snape began, "I would like to collect samples of the venom, and to examine the teeth up close."

"Of course, Severus," Dumbledore replied. "I think it may be appropriate if we all take souvenirs of our expedition." Dumbledore then cast "Diffindo," at the Basilisk's fangs and several broke away. He gathered them up and gave one to Harry and one to Snape.

"Sir, could I take one for Tracey as well? She helped me a lot with my research," Harry asked.

"Certainly," Dumbledore replied. "Once Severus has finished we should return to his office promptly. I daresay Miss Davis is worried about you."

10 minutes later they left the Chamber which sealed itself after them. They returned to Snape's office where they found Tracey had been joined by Professor Sinistra. When they entered Tracey hurried over to Harry and, after a brief conversation during which Harry gave her the Basilisk fang, they returned to the Common Room leaving the teachers who were still discussing the events of the night.

 **Author's Note:** Text in bold is in Parseltongue.


	15. 15 Tidying Loose Ends

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.

 **Harry Slithers-in; Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 15: Tidying Loose Ends**

Even though the Basilisk was dead there were a number of issues still left unresolved. Firstly the diary. Although Harry assumed the diary would now be destroyed he wondered if it might be held for evidence. He decided to ask Professor Snape about it but not until exams were finished.

Secondly he wondered what would happen to Hagrid. Would Dumbledore believe him when he said Hagrid had been framed?

Finally Ginny Weasley. Harry was certain she was being possessed and that she was not responsible for her actions and, as far as he knew, that matter was closed, but there was still her apparent obsession with Harry. Tracey barely tolerated Ginny and he hoped the two girls would sort it out quickly and in a mature fashion.

Harry's first question was answered early the following week. Snape called him and Tracey to his office where they were informed the diary had been thoroughly examined and had now been destroyed. Snape showed them the remains of the diary which now bore a huge hole that looked as if it had been made by acid or fire. Snape said that the Headmaster would retain it in his office where it would be perfectly safe.

Their next visit to Hagrid's cabin answered his second question. Hagrid went on at length about how Dumbledore had cleared his name and overturned the ruling about his expulsion. Hagrid seemed very happy although he admitted that he really had nowhere else to go so he would be remaining at Hogwarts as groundsman and would continue to live in his cabin.

As they were returning from this visit Harry saw Ginny Weasley. She took one look at Harry and turned tail and ran. Tracey found this very amusing but Harry just hoped she was alright. Either way it looked as if that particular problem would take care of itself over time.

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The following morning Dumbledore announced to the school that the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets had been solved and that the person responsible for opening it had been removed from the school. This naturally led to speculation as to who this person was. Many times Harry overheard students discussing if they knew anyone who was no longer at Hogwarts. Harry decided not to enter any such discussions until Draco asked him directly if he knew.

"Potter, are you going to tell us who the pretender to your throne was?" he asked in the Common Room one afternoon.

"If by throne you mean Heir to Slytherin, then all I'll say is that, whoever it was, they were working by proxy. They had bewitched an innocent first year and were using them to unleash the Basilisk. I don't know who that person is and I'm not going to say who they had bewitched because the matter is now closed," Harry replied.

Draco seemed less than happy with his reply but instead asked about the Basilisk. "Is the Basilisk still there?"

"It is," Harry replied truthfully. He decided not to mention the fact it was dead.

"So, if someone decides in the future to continue Salazar Slytherin's work the Basilisk will be able to pick up where it left off this time?" Draco asked.

"No. I have taken control of it and I have ensured it will not attack anyone while I am at Hogwarts. The Chamber has been sealed so that nothing larger than a rat can get in or out," Harry said.

With the matter now closed Harry was able to concentrate on exams and Quidditch.

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Slytherin's last Quidditch match would be against Ravenclaw. Slytherin had the same team that had defeated Gryffindor and early on it looked like a comfortable win but Ravenclaw had gained a lot of experience and confidence from their win over Hufflepuff and came back strongly. At one point they took the lead but soon after that Harry spotted the snitch and was able to catch it just ahead of the Ravenclaw seeker. This gave Slytherin a 190 – 50 win.

The following Saturday, however, Hufflepuff caused a major upset by defeating Gryffindor by a comfortable margin, their winning score being enough for them to take the Quidditch Cup. Some Slytherins complained they could hear the Hufflepuff celebrations even from their own Common Room. Harry knew this wasn't true, however, because he and Tracey were raiding the kitchens at the time and they couldn't hear anything even though the Hufflepuff Common Room was by far the closest to the kitchens.

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The last Friday before exams began saw Harry and Tracey in the library when Hermione Granger approached them.

"Davis, Potter," she began.

"Hello, Granger," Tracey replied.

"I've done everything I can to help you with your grades now I expect you to honour your agreement about forgetting Christmas."

"I am a woman of my word," Tracey replied. "Thank you very much for your help. Now all we need do is wait for Weasley since Neville has already been cleared."

"Ron says he has as much information as he can get. He wants to meet you tomorrow here in the library to hand it over. Also he says thanks for helping Ginny. Professor McGonagall talked to all the Weasleys about the diary explaining how Ginny was being possessed by it. They were told it was a couple of Slytherins who eventually solved the mystery and it was apparently this that led Fred and George to let Ron in on their secret. They might be here tomorrow also."

"What time am I to meet him?" Tracey asked.

"He suggested 10am. Is that suitable?" Hermione responded.

"Harry and I will be here at that time. Thank you, Hermione."

Harry noted the change from surname to first name but decided not to comment on it.

At 10am the next day Tracey entered the library with Harry following. All four Weasley boys were present. As Tracey sat down the eldest boy, Percy, spoke; "On behalf of my family I wish to offer our thanks for what you did for Ginny. None of us had any idea she had brought such a dangerous artefact into the school. Furthermore Potter, we want to apologise for the things we said behind your back after you revealed the fact you could talk to snakes. I think that is all."

"Thank you for your apology but it is not necessary. It was, in fact, only a coincidence we realised it was Ginny who had brought the diary into Hogwarts," Tracey replied.

"I can understand how many people may have been frightened by my ability to talk to snakes but I promise you I have never used it to intentionally frighten anyone. I just thought it was a common skill among magical people," Harry said.

"Anyway now that's been resolved let's get down to business," Fred.

"Off you go, Percy. This is just between them and Ron," George.

Before Percy could say anything the twins were pushing him away leaving Ron with the Slytherins.

"Fred and George showed me this map," Ron said once they were alone. "It answers all your questions about secret passages and the like within the castle and the grounds. I can show you the map and you can take notes if you want to but I have to return it this evening." Ron placed a piece of parchment on the table, tapped it with his wand and said "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Immediately writing began appearing on the parchment. It read;

"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs

Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers

Are proud to present

THE MARAUDER'S MAP

As these words were appearing a series of lines also appeared on the parchment which quickly formed into a highly detailed map of Hogwarts and its grounds. Several passages Harry had never seen before now stood out clearly, including what looked like tunnels trailing off the map. Most of these seemed to lead to Hogsmeade. Of most interest, though, were hundreds of individually labelled dots each with a person's name attached to them. Harry stared in amazement.

"Wow. Ron, this is incredible," Tracey said.

"Take as many notes as you like," Ron replied. "Don't take too long, though. Fred and George want this back as soon as possible."

Tracey and Harry took notes on various shortcuts and on the tunnels while Ron explained that only one of the tunnels was now usable. It opened onto the third floor corridor not far from where Fluffy, Hagrid's pet Cerberus, had been stationed the previous year. Ron explained the entrance was hidden inside the statue of a one eyed crone. He added the password was 'Dissendium' and to open it you had to tap the crone's hump with your wand while saying the word.

When they finished Ron tapped the parchment again and said "Mischief managed." This was the phrase for deactivating the map and it almost instantly went blank.

"Thank you, Ron," Tracey said. "You have more than fulfilled my expectations. I now happily state you are in the clear."

"Right. I better get this back to Fred and George, then," Ron said as he left the table.

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The last matter for the year was exams. As a result of the extra tutoring Tracey had received her marks were somewhat better than the previous year. She was very happy to pass all subjects and that her marks had placed her 16th in their year. Both Tracey and Harry achieved 'Outstanding' as their grade in potions. The only other Slytherins to achieve this were Theo and Draco.

On the same day exams finished Dumbledore announced the Mandrakes had matured and the potion that would restore the petrified students (and ghost; and cat) would be administered that evening. At the same time he announced that Professor Lockhart would not be returning to teach DADA next year owing to the fact he had been arrested when it was discovered he had been illegally modifying people's memories and then claiming credit for what they had done.

"I knew it," Tracey said when this was announced. "I knew he was a fraud."

"Oh, no," Daphne whined. "Surely, though, he must have done some of the things he wrote about."

"I doubt it," Harry said. "He always seemed more interested in fame than in fact. And even you, Daphne, have to admit his lessons were pretty pathetic."

Daphne didn't reply. She appeared to be lost in thought.

"There is still one thing I don't understand," Harry said after a moment. "Surely Hogwarts could have acquired some Mandrake Restorative Potion from an outside source."

"Probably," Tracey agreed. "St. Mungo's should have some in its stores. They are the wizarding worlds' best hospital. I wonder why Dumbledore didn't get any."

"He was probably trying to keep it quiet," Blaise suggested. "There are a lot of people who don't think he's fit to be Headmaster anymore. I've heard some of my mother's friends suggesting he's going senile and he cares more about his reputation than his students."

"If that is the case then he should be removed, both for his own sake as well as that of the school," Theo said.

"Dumbledore still has a lot of supporters," Blaise said. "Apparently that's why no action has been taken so far. We really should be speaking to Malfoy about this. His father is one of the school Governors and it is ultimately their decision whether or not they replace him."

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At the farewell feast Dumbledore announced that Slytherin had won the house cup outright. They were more than 100 points clear of Gryffindor in second place with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw somewhat further back. Naturally the Slytherins were delighted, their cheering could be clearly heard outside the Hall. Most Slytherins knew it had been Harry and Tracey who had won the cup. The 100 points they had been awarded for locating the Chamber and solving the mystery almost exactly matched their winning margin, and Snape had awarded Tracey extra points for making such a significant improvement in potions. Harry also received a token point for improving his grade. When he saw this he shrugged; clearly Snape still did not like him despite what he had done in the two years he had been at Hogwarts.

The trip back to King's Cross the next day was uneventful. On the journey Daphne mentioned her sister, Astoria, would be starting next year, as would younger siblings of several older students. She mentioned that Crabbe had a sister who would be in the next year's class. Although she hadn't seen her for several years Daphne said Crabbe's sister was nothing like her brother in that she was a much smarter, friendlier person.

At King's Cross Harry said goodbye to Tracey and Daphne and walked to where the Dursleys were waiting. When he reached them Mrs. Davis joined him.

"Vernon, Petunia," she began, "please remember that we have a strict code of child welfare, just like the muggles do. If I hear you have been mistreating Harry, or if I don't hear from him at least once a week I will begin an investigation into what is happening. I hope you enjoy your holiday, Harry, and remember what I've just said."

"I'll remember. Thank you, Mrs. Davis." With that Harry left the station with the Dursleys.

 **Author's Note:** This is the end of Chamber of Secrets. I will begin Harry Slithers-in: Prisoner of Azkaban in early August.


End file.
